HYDERABAD: With each passing day, the footfall on recently launched Hyderabad Metro Rail is on a rise. On Saturday, as per HMR figures, as many as 2.10 lakh passengers have taken the metro for a commute. HMR managing-director NVS Reddy said, “the holiday rush and huge crowds were very carefully handled”.At the Ameerpet Interchange station, said to be the largest interchage station in the country till date, in spite of having multiple ‘May I Help You’ personnel, chaos is what prevailed on Saturday. With the crowd poorly managed either during boarding or while leaving the Metro car, a potential stampede is not far away at the Ameerpet interchange station as a lot of crowd management aspects still needs to be streamlined.
For the officials at the Ameerpet station, the challenge of crowd management could only be felt on Saturday, the fourth day since the inaugural of the Hyderabad Metro Rail as joyriders increased manifold.
A reduced number of personnel guiding the passengers to the Miyapur and Nagole routes, a lack of seating facility for senior citizens and persons with disabilities on the platforms, and poorly indicative pointers for self-help information were the host of issues that made many passengers ride lacklustre.
Kalki Murthy, a joyrider who came along with his wife and friends from KPHB Metro station was shocked to see the crowd falling on each other as soon as the doors of the Metro car opened at Ameerpet. “All hell broke loose at the station. We are literally falling on each other as the doors opened. The personnel there are nothing less to being of any help to us.They should have placed barricades at the at the doors so that people who are going out can freely go and thereafter guide those standing in,” he said.
When Express observed the frequency of the Metro cars approaching the Ameerpet interchange station, there is an eight to ten-minute difference between the Metro cars approaching from Miaypur and Nagole.
In simple words, while the Metro car’s frequency from Miyapur to Ameerpet is between 8 to 10 minutes, the frequency for the Metro coming from Nagole to Ameerpet is around 16 to 18 minutes. The gap of about 8 minutes can be attributed to the gap leading to the stagnation.
When informed about the issue to the L&TMRHL authorities, officials who didn’t wish to be named said: “they are letting the system stabilise before any additional coaches or frequency is changed.”
With even more joyriders expected to take the Metro Rail on Sunday, the situation only seems to get difficult for the officials on duty as crowd management gets tougher for the ‘May I Help You’ personnel to handle.