Chennai Metro has recently taken a step that lakhs of commuters travelling by public transport in India—be it by metro, train or bus—would readily agree with. The Centre-state joint venture has raised the fine for subjecting fellow passengers to loud music or video played on phones from ₹500 to ₹2,500. The inconsiderate act of not using earphones or pods, which has given currency to the British coinage ‘sodcasting’, has expanded like a rash. Chennai Metro’s move follows amendments notified in June by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs raising the penalty for creating nuisance under Section 59 of the Metro Railways (Operations and Maintenance) Act, 2002. What remains is for all other city metros to follow the lead.
