Beware! Namma Metro's no place to fool around

Hameed Ashraf | NT

Bengaluru: Whether it is performing wheelies or pulling pranks on unsuspecting commuters at Metro stations, several social media enthusiasts are often found indulging in illegal activities for the sake of making Reel videos.

In the latest incident, a person was imposed a penalty of Rs 500 by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) for his blatant disregard of rules inside a metro train.

The violator was identified as Sunil Kumar, an employee at a jewellery store in Jayanagar in Bengaluru. Despite strict rules that ban food consumption within the metro, Kumar was seen eating 'Gobi Manchurian' inside the train.

A video of the incident was later shared on a social media post which went viral and came to the notice of BMRCL officials prompting action. The violator was also made to pledge that he would not be involved in any such activities in future.

Sadly, this is no isolated incident. There have been similar cases reported at Metro Stations here. Another video showed a youth attempting to pull a prank on people by pretending to be having bouts of epileptic attacks, first, at the metro station and then inside a train.

A video of the so-called prank was shared on a social media platform. The BMRCL authorities are now trying to trace the YouTuber and initiate action against him.

As per 2022 data shared by BMRCL, over 1,852 troublemakers have been caught on Metro trains or at stations and a penalty of Rs 4,18,445 has been collected in the last decade.

The data showed that the authorities have fined over 1,712 drunk passengers and 'nuisance makers' and have collected Rs 3,35,755 over the last decade, while 94 trespassers have coughed up Rs 23,050 as penalties.

In September, a Cyprusbased social media influencer came under fire from BMRCL for using the city's public transport system without a ticket and boasting about it on his channel.

"Before Covid hit, we had trouble with the drunk passengers entering the Metro. Now it is this nuisance. At least youngsters should realise the wrong they are doing," said a security official at Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Metro Station, Majestic.

Meanwhile, MD of BMRCL, Anjum Parvez said anybody violating rules will not go unnoticed because cameras inside the train and those on the platform are continuously monitored in the control room.