BENGALURU: The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) finds itself facing a weird problem: what can be done about the helmets forgotten by commuters on its trains and platforms. As of now, it has a collection of 88 of them in its custody, and not a soul is inclined to take even one away.
Helmets figure along with lunch bags and cloth bags as the items that are forgotten the most by commuters. While most items find takers in the periodic auction of forgotten items conducted by the Corporation, there is a kind of taboo in place about bidding for helmets worn by others.
B L Yashwanth Chavan, Chief Engineer (Phase-II Depots), BMRCL, told CE, “There seems to be a hygiene issue associated with buying helmets. So, this item has remained stuck with us over the course of many auctions we have carried out. We have 88 helmets with us so far.”
Asked if they would be destroyed, Chavan said that BMRCL is still figuring out what could be done with them.
A total of 23 different kinds of items have been left behind by forgetful commuters. “As on date, 1,337 items have been recovered from the 40 stations. Apart from the three commonly lost items, other things such as umbrella, purses, BMRCL travel cards, credit cards, debit cards, shopping bags, footwear, ornaments, ID cards and watches have been recovered within Metro station premises,” he said.
Explaining the procedure involved in managing lost items, Chavan said items are handed over by the public or staff at the Station Controller’s office at each Metro station. “They are retained at each station for 24 hours after the item has been handed over, and later taken to the common ‘Lost and Found’ department for the Purple Line (Baiyappanahalli Metro station) and the Green Line (Yesvantpur Metro station). If they are not claimed after a two-month period, they are auctioned off after publicising about it at Metro stations,” he said.
Mobile phones, cash and lunch bags are usually claimed by passengers who have lost them in the shortest possible time, Chavan said.
Elaborating on the procedure to claim one’s lost item, he said, “The owner needs to be present in person to claim the lost property along with an original ID card. A duplicate of the ID needs to be submitted with BMRCL. The owner also needs to sign a letter acknowledging the product has been taken away.”
