BENGALURU: An auction held recently for items left by passengers inside trains and platforms of Namma Metro, fetched Rs 34,700 for a gold bracelet. This is the highest a single item has ever fetched in the auctions carried out on the Nagasandra to Yelachenahalli (Green Line) corridor. The event, that is being held after 14 months for the Green Line, fetched the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) a total amount of Rs 46,210.
This valuable went under the hammer along with 387 other personal belongings in the concourse area of Yesvantpur Metro station on September 18, said A S Shankar, executive director, Operations and Maintenance, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). The previous such auction for the Green Line was held on July 27 last year.
Umbrellas, helmets, watches, handbags and purses are popular items left behind by passengers. Electronic gadgets like laptops and mobile phones were not auctioned due to security reasons and have to be handed over to the police. “Altogether, 643 items were recovered from platforms, trains and even from railway tracks of the Green Line. Out of them, we found only 388 pieces fit for auction and the ‘Lost and Found’ office went ahead with the process,” Shankar said. Out of the auctioned items, only 98 items found takers.
The auction for 649 items recovered from Metro premises on the Purple Line (Baiyappanahalli to Mysuru) is yet to take place. “The items rejected by BMRCL will be scrapped while those that went unsold will be examined by a committee and will be auctioned again along with the next round of items” an official said. Explaining the process, he said that any item found within Metro premises is handed over to the station controller. “The gangmen who patrol tracks at night for maintenance purposes have often handed over items that fall on the railway tracks,” he added.
“The items are kept at the respective Metro stations for up to 24 hours and then sent to the Baiyappanahalli or Yesvantpur 'Lost and Found' offices. Those who have misplaced or lost their items can come over and claim them at these offices preferably within two months,” the official said. After a considerable number of items get accumulated, a date is fixed for the auction.
“The date and time is advertised across all Metro stations in order to alert passengers two weeks prior to the event. The auction is generally held between 2.30pm and 3pm on the fixed date,” another official said. The proceeds go towards a Staff Welfare Fund, a Metro staffer said. However, this information could not be confirmed with Finance Department officials.