The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the response of the Centre, the AAP government and the DMRC on a PIL seeking installation of screen-doors at all metro station platforms to prevent incidents of commuters falling on the tracks.
A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao issued notice to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Delhi government and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and sought their replies to the plea by July 25.
The petition filed by Hussain Mueen Farooq, who claims to be a social activist, has also contended that since the beginning of operations in 2002, the Delhi Metro did not have a single Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) as required under the Delhi Metro Railway (Operation And Maintenance) Act.
According to the Act, the primary function of the CMRS is to inspect the metro railway with a view to determine whether it is fit to be opened for carrying passengers.
Farooq, in his plea, has sought directions to the Centre to appoint someone to the post of CMRS and that screen-doors be set up at all station platforms to ensure that people do not fall on the tracks, either by accident or deliberately to commit suicide.
The petitioner has said that time and again people have died by falling on the tracks as a train was approaching and contended that installing screen-doors will prevent such incidents that "add to the travelling woes of commuters".
A screen-door is a continuous connected barrier preventing passengers from moving close to the edge of the platform. It opens only after the doors of the train open or simultaneously.
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The petition says that screen-doors on platforms are a feature of stations on the Airport Express line and some select stations on other lines.
It claims that in some stations, the screen-doors are present but are non-functional.
Apart from installation of screen-doors and appointment of a CMRS, the plea has also sought that the DMRC submit a separate and detailed annual report about its operations before Parliament.
Farooq has contended that presently, the DMRC annual report is a brief document annexed along with that of the Railways and this practice has been going on since the initiation of its operations.