Metro meddle: Have seat, won’t sit!

Delhi government has allowed 100% in Delhi Metro, however to achieve this, every passenger needs to be seated. And this doesn’t seem to have gone down well with Delhiites who are hesitant about breaking social distancing norms and sitting close to each other while journeying a train.

What was the biggest concern for Delhi Metro travellers uptill now? Getting a seat, right! But now that the Metro authorities have allowed 100% seat occupancy, which amounts to 20% full capacity of a Metro train, there’s still a concern. While it might seem like a dream come true for commuters, it’s actually proving to be a deal breaker for many reeling under the stress and fear of Covid-19.

Delhi Metro travellers say they are not comfortable sitting next to each other as that doesn’t allow the possibility to follow social distancing. (Photo: Ajay Aggarwal/HT (For representational purposes only))

“Delhi is still reporting cases of Covid every day, and in such a scenario, sitting with my shoulders rubbing onto a fellow passenger that too in a closed space like a metro train is unimaginable for me,” says Tarun Verma, a resident of Pitampura, adding, “I had some work in Noida and initially thought that I’ll take the metro. But this 100% seating rule has made me change my mind. I’m not comfortable sitting so close to someone. There is no way to know if the other person is vaccinated. It’s not like ki koi vaccine status check kar raha hai!”

Some metro passengers took to Twitter to show how the guidelines are not being followed in Delhi Metro. (Photo: Twitter)

“Thodha adjust karna” is something that one often heard in the Metro, in the pre pandemic times, when people expected fellow passengers to shift a little and accommodate them in the seating arrangement. But this habit of travellers has become annoying to another level in the present circumstances. Sarthak Mishra, a student of DU’s Ramjas College, says, “People are not allowed to stand in the metro now. So now they are asking for seat more often saying things like ‘Beta, thoda shift ho jao’. Arre but uncle ji I don’t want to sit so close to you, Covid abhi gaya nahi hai! How do I explain this to every second person. Par ab yehi ho raha hai… three seats par four people want to sit chipak chipak ke so that they are not fined for travelling while standing.”

And it’s not easy for everyone to ditch the Metro because commuting via public transport is certainly more budget friendly. Ruing about the skyrocketing fuel prices, Ashish Jain, a resident of Adarsh Nagar who travels daily to Gurugram for work, says, “It’s impossible for me to take a cab every day from my house to my office. So I’m forced to take the metro and travel in a packed compartment even if the fear of a third wave of corona is hanging on my head and my family worries about me. I understand ki baithna zaroori hai, but ab agar seat nahi milegi toh kitni trains miss karun? I have no option but to travel while standing, as I can’t report late for work everyday on the pretext of waiting for a seat in the Metro!”

In such a scenario, travelling with babies is a complete no-no for mommies. Manisha Verma, a teacher from Shalimar Bagh says, “My parents stay in Malviya Nagar and it would have been convenient for me to take the Metro, especially because roads are usually waterlogged in the monsoon. But I can’t think of taking my baby with me and sitting right next to someone in the metro even if I’m getting ample sitting space in the ladies coach. If there’s no social distancing then I can’t take a chance to expose myself or my kid to someone who might be an asymptomatic carrier since kids aren’t even vaccinated yet. I’ve been reading that the third wave is going to be very dangerous for kids, and kids being kids even refuse to wear mask at all times.”

While many may feel that the present situation means ending up in an overcrowded metro, Anuj Dayal, executive director, corporate communications, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC) says: “In view of the revised guidelines issued by the government, travel in the Delhi Metro has been permitted from 50% of its seating capacity to 100% with no standing travel from July 26. In this regard, DMRC would like to reiterate that even with these revised guidelines, a maximum 50 passengers per coach are permitted as against 300 prior to Covid. Entry to stations will therefore continue to be regulated. Currently, Metro is offering only about 1/5th (20%) of its overall carrying capacity in adherence to the guidelines.”

Author tweets @anjuri

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