With the introduction of the six- coach train both on the North-South and East-West corridors, there will be a substantial increase in the number of commuters on Namma Metro. An important public transport system, built with huge investment, it should have incorporated world class safety measures, but it has a poor record when it comes to safety, especially of its women passengers as recent incidents at the Metro stations have shown.
But the responsibility lies equally with the BMRCL and commuters to ensure that travel by Namma Metro is safe. Platform screen doors, and safety nets across escalators should have been part of the station design. These measures need to be taken seriously by the BMRCL without further delay. Instructions on safe travel by Metro with dos and don’ts need to circulated on social media regularly in multi- languages. Stakeholders also need to be informed of disaster management measures in case of emergencies.
But the Bengaluru Metro has taken the need for passenger facilities like lifts, escalators, safe pedestrian crossings and access to BMTC buses very lightly although they contribute to improving commuter safety. Already a few precious lives have been lost inside the stations and while accessing them.
The Commissioner for Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) needs to take a relook at the safety aspects of the Bengaluru Metro from the commuters perspective and ensure that BMRCL implements the mandatory measures to avoid accidents, structural damage, power failures, overcrowding at stations and poor access to them .
People too must follow the safety instruction at Namma Metro stations and be careful when boarding and getting off trains. The Metro authorities need to provide safety instructions through social media, on display boards at the stations , and via videos on dos and don’ts. The BMRCL also needs to do a safety audit from the structural, passenger and accessibility perspective. Let’s hope the BMRCL, state government, ministry of urban development, and the Commissioner for Metro Railway Safety improve Namma Metro’s safety aspects, learning from past mistakes from across cities in India where it is operational.
— Sanjeev Dyamannavar, Founding member, Praja RAAG
