The Delhi metro is one of the most most crowded and well connected transport systems in the country. Thousands of people commute via the trains everyday. But the metro stations and tracks have also become a very common suicide spot.
Despite various measure taken by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to build barricades at the platforms and increase vigilance, the suicide statistics remain grim.
A recent tweet by the DMRC can be seen spreading awareness about mental health and suicide. The tweet uses the hashtag #NeverGiveUp to encourage commuters to look out for signs of distress among fellow commuters.
Various measures have been taken by the DMRC to prevent suicides. These measures mainly include CCTV surveillance, CISF staff and barricades on certain metro stations. The DMRC also rely heavily on plainclothesmen to keep an out for distressed commuters.
According to a Times of India report, the red flags for CISF staff are mainly people who seem nervous or agitated, or commuters loitering in the metro station and skipping trains.
However, these measure have hardly worked if the statistics are anything to go by. The number of attempted suicides increased from over 40 in 2014, to 76 in 2016. This issue is not exclusive to Delhi metro either. Over 50 attempted suicides were reported at the Kolkata metro line in 2008.
According to the Delhi metro website, the DMRC plan on installing extra guard rails at “suicide prone” stations, launch public service initiative to sensitize their staff to identifying commuters under distress and establish a 24x7 helpline in association with NGOs for commuters in distress.
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