Chaos reigned during drill despite announcements

Repeated announcements at Metro stations and inside the coaches about a mock drill on Saturday failed to achieve success as many commuters didn't even know what a mock drill means.

Repeated announcements at Metro stations and inside the coaches about a mock drill on Saturday failed to achieve success as many commuters didn't even know what a mock drill means.

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As a result, hundreds of commuters reacted with panic and chaos ensued when a mock drill to check preparedness of security agencies in case of a disaster was carried out at various Metro stations on Saturday.

A large number of commuters, who were made to wait outside the stations while the drill was on, also remained clueless as to what was happening. The drill took place between 11am and 11.50am at 11 Metro stations.

"Announcements were made in the trains and at stations during this period, urging commuters to remain calm.

The entire exercise took about 50 minutes," said Anuj Dayal, spokesperson of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

Guards posted at the Metro stations escorted passengers out of the stations about 10 minutes before the drill began. The passengers were told that services had been suspended for the next one hour.

"The aim of this drill was to check the preparedness of DMRC staff and coordination between Delhi Metro staff, the police, medical staff and the fire brigade in such a disaster scenario," an official said.

Minor glitches were also reported as token machines broke down at many stations. Also, doctors at Badarpur station, where Metro derailment was enacted, complained lack of coordination among agencies.

"Even though we are the second respondents in case of a disaster, we were not informed when the derailment occurred at Badarpur station. We were called at least 25 minutes later," said a doctor from Safdarjung Hospital.