HYDERABAD: Brace yourself to negotiate through the packed metro stations between the latest Ameerpet to LB Nagar sector, which would be thrown open to public today, for station assistants, who help manage the crowd for a hassle-free travel experience, will not be seen in the new stretch. According to sources, L&TMRHL is planning to do away with station assistants and existing staff will help manage the increased footfall.
“We do not see a reason to engage such manpower considering that people are already used to the functioning of the Metro,” an L&TMRHL spokesperson confirmed, adding that it was also a move intended to manage costs. The staff, however, have doubts if they can effectively manage the burgeoning crowd.
“The station controllers at MGBS, LB Nagar, and Dilsukhnagar station will have a tough time,” says a station controller on the new stretch. “The footfall here is expected to be higher than what was witnessed at Ameerpet during the inauguration,” he says. It may be noted here that about 300 persons were hired by Keolis Hyderabad for station management.
Keolis had also subcontracted human resources personnel for station management to a private security services firm, TRIG. But within just three months, all of them were terminated from service despite resistance from the employees. Now that a new set of people are set to use the service, it’s doubtful if they will be familiar with the service and how to use it.
“There should be security personnel, at the least, to assist the passengers as a lot of persons are still grappling with the token system and boarding the train. The feeling of a trusted service has not yet been created to give us an assurance of any help when needed,” said S Chandrasekhar, an accountant who frequently commutes between Kukatpally and Uppal.
Inaugural stretch is far from perfect
While the increase in footfall is surely a positive sign, shortcomings still exist in the inaugural -- Miyapur - Ameerpet and Ameerpet - Nagole -- stretch, troubling millions of commuters. Even the basics, like toilets for persons with disabilities, were not open to public when Express last checked the stretch on September 20.
The tactile tiles, meant for persons with disabilities, is still missing at the Parade Grounds station. The exclusive enclosure for women inside the trains is often breached by men. Several women commuters say that often men occupy seats in the enclosure, even during non-peak hours, defeating the purpose of such a facility.
Officials said they have been carrying out inspections at ‘regular intervals to ensure the safety of women’. But, how regular the inspections can be, especially after expansion of the service with the footfall increasing by an estimated two-fold, is yet to be seen.