Low police patrol around metro stations in Gurgaon worry commuters

The murder of a 34-year-old woman outside MG Road Metro station -- one of the busiest metro stations in the city -- has once again called attention to inadequacies in security around metro stations.

The murder of a 34-year-old woman outside MG Road Metro station -- one of the busiest metro stations in the city -- has once again called attention to inadequacies in security around metro stations.

Though the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is responsible for security inside metro stations, maintenance of law and order outside the boundaries of stations comes under the purview of the state police. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Low police patrolling, and missing CCTV cameras and police posts around stations have long been pointed out as safety concerns for thousands of commuters.

There are five Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) stations -- Huda City Centre, Iffco Chowk, MG Road, Sikandarpur and Guru Dronacharya -- in the city on the Huda City Centre- Samaypur Badli line (yellow line). The five stations have a daily ridership of over 1.5 lakh.

“We use the metro train as it is relatively safe and comfortable. But, the situation outside stations is a contrast. Inside, the CISF keeps an eye on commuters but police presence is negligible outside,” Akansha Singh, a 24-year-old student, said.

Though the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is responsible for security inside metro stations, maintenance of law and order outside the boundaries of stations comes under the purview of the state police.

Commuters have been complaining of a lax attitude from the authorities’ side. They said they only see traffic officials around busy stations such as Huda City Centre. They also said CCTV cameras are missing around stations.

“There is hardly any police presence around stations. We can only see personnel who check traffic. Police should deploy a team to take care of security around stations, especially at night,” Kritika Saini, a 22-year-old MNC executive, said.

Commuters also pointed at the poor visibility around most stations because of defunct or missing streetlights. Besides, women commuters said the proximity of bars, clubs and liquor vends is a cause of concern at night.

“There are a number of drinking places on the mall mile (MG Road) and drunken brawls around metro stations, especially Sikandarpur and MG Road, are a common site. It is shameful that it is so easy for a man to stab a woman to death at one of the most crowded areas of Gurgaon and that too during day,” Anuradha Lamba, a 34-year-old commuter, said.

Police, however, said they are taking measures to ensure security of commuters with initiatives such as ‘Operation Romeo’ and increased patrolling around stations. They said strict action would be taken to enhance safety.

“There is a fair amount of police presence around the five metro stations. But if commuters, especially women, feel that patrolling inadequate, we will look into it and deploy more personnel around stations,” Sandeep Khirwar, commissioner of police, Gurgaon, said.