New Delhi: Commuters of Delhi metro will now, not have to go to police stations to file FIR against harassment, theft or stalking. The Delhi police has issued an order according to which its staff would be present at the booths at 23 metro stations. The staff will help commuters in filing complaints. The order requires police personnel to be present at the booths between 9am to 5pm.
As of now, crimes in Delhi Metro are dealt by the Metro wing of Delhi Police. The Delhi Metro with 134 stations has 10 police stations and a total strength of 220 personnel. These police stations are at the most busy stations like Shastri Park, Kashmere Gate, Rithala, Rajiv Chowk, Janakpuri, Ghitorni, INA, Nehru Place, Yamuna Bank Depot and Pragati Maidan.
After ensuring the availability of staff, the facility will be extended across all Metro stations. Metro booths will also be provided computers so that e-FIRs can be filed. About 28 lakhs passengers commute in the Delhi Metro every day and this year, till date, about 11,000 cases of crime have been registered out of which 90 per cent are related to theft and pick pocketing, where an e-FIR can be filed.
Pankaj Singh, DCP (Metro) said, “Unlike police stations in the city covering residential area, the jurisdiction of a Metro Police Station is spread over a long distance. For instance, the station between Rajiv Chowk and Dwarka Sector 21 Metro station comes under the jurisdiction of Raja Garden Metro Police Station. The average time taken from the police station to reach a Metro station is about half-an-hour. We are trying to reduce inconvenience for passengers.”
With the order, cops will be present at the following metro stations: Shahdara, Dilshad Garden, and Kashmiri Gate, Chandni Chowk, New Delhi, Rohini West, Inderlok, Kirti Nagar, Karol Bagh, Rajiv Chowk, Udyog Bhawan, Central Secretariat, Uttam Nagar East, Tilak Nagar, Dhaula Kuan, Airport, Dwarka Sector 10, Chattarpur, AIIMS, Nehru Place, Karkardooma, PragatiMaidan and ITO.