Violating rules or norms in Delhi Metro or damaging its property may burn a huge hole in your pocket. You can end up paying a hefty penalty of up to Rs50,000. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has proposed a 10-fold increase in the amount of penalty, from Rs5,000 to Rs50,000 and the Union Ministry of Urban Development has moved a draft of ‘Delhi Metro Rail Bill 2017’ to this effect seeking comments from all stakeholders including the Ministries of law and Finance. At present, the maximum amount of penalty in Delhi Metro is Rs5,000 only.
Sources told The Pioneer that the Urban Development Ministry has circulated a Cabinet proposal for introducing the ‘Metro Rail Bill’. The proposed Bill circulated for inter-Ministerial consultation has also provisions for a Rs1,000 fine for eating or littering inside train or the station. The amendment will be brought before Parliament for approval once the Urban Development Ministry gets the comments from other Ministries. Sources said that if a person enters the Metro station premises or trains without any lawful authority or having entered with lawful authority remains there unlawfully and refuses to leave on being requested to do so by any Metro railway official, then he/she will attract a penalty of Rs10,000.
“If any person, in any carriage or upon any part of the Metro railway or is in a state of intoxication; or commits any nuisance or vandalism or act of indecency, or uses abusive or obscene language will be liable to pay a penalty of Rs5,000. Presently, maximum penalty of Rs200 can be imposed for this offence in the existing Act.
Interestingly, raising slogans inside the Metro station will attract a penalty of Rs15,000, up from the Rs200 now, officials said.
The proposed Bill will govern all Metro rail entities, constructed and operated by DMRC, across the country, and provides for fine and jail term for offences besides ending the role of Railways in technical planning of Metro rail projects.
According to the Cabinet proposal, a sabotage caused by anyone that risks lives of passengers would attract death penalty or life imprisonment while any effort to hurt passengers would attract life imprisonment or 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment. Acts of sabotage include loosening any item or displacing any machinery that can cause loss of life. The Bill also proposes to bring CMRS, the authority responsible for safety certifications for Metro rails, under the Urban Development Ministry.
“The existing Delhi Metro Railway (Operation and Maintenance) Act 2002 is 15 years old and some of the provisions of this Act have been outdated. There is an urgent need to make amendments in the provisions of this Act or bring a new Act,” sources added.