Travelling in the metro at odd hours might have been easy for me, but I was shocked to see that there are no proper lights outside many stations, making it unsafe for commuters including women. Many of my female friends have shared their stories of eve-teasing outside metro stations with me and that they feel less secure because these spaces are dimly lit.
The metro transports lakhs of people across the capital and NCR daily, but why is it that travelling at night has become a source of fear for some? Despite promises, the Delhi government fails to provide proper lighting around metro stations, putting daily commuters at risk. Is the Delhi government taking adequate steps? I went to Welcome metro station, Shahdara metro station, Mansarovar Park metro station and Jama Masjid metro station to find out.
The main issue is the dark and deserted roads near metro stations, Ayushi Malik, a student of Jamia Millia Islamia told me.
“After 10 pm, roads outside many metro stations transform into a place for robbery, harassment and molestation.”
A report in Hindustan Times published December 2017 stated that 44 out of 125 metro stations in Delhi had inadequate lighting. Around March the same year, Delhi resident Bhavya Singh was harassed by a group of men in a dark spot right opposite the Nehru Place metro station.
After the incident, she started the #LightUpDelhi petition and in response to that, the Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Satyendra Jain had said that dark spots within a 1 km range of metro stations would be lit up. A report published by The Statesman in July 2018 quotes Jain as saying:
“To make you all feel safer while travelling by the Delhi Metro, my ministry will speed up the process of lighting up all the dark spots identified within a one-kilometre radius of metro stations.”
The Situation Now
Nine months later, women commuters told me that they are still dissatisfied with the steps taken. The people I spoke with have said that while there are some improvements on the roads outside metro stations to safeguard women in late hours, these improvements are limited to a few selected metro stations, which is nearly not enough.
“Women commuters are still facing problems while travelling in the metro late night due to the inadequate lighting, and no evident improvement can be seen despite steps being taken by the government.”A daily commuter who did not want to be named
Aparna, a Delhi University student, highlights her ordeal.
“After 10 pm, most stations of Delhi metro are like prohibited zones for women. It is pitch dark once you step out of the metro station. It’s scary and I have faced it several times at Shahdra metro station. My PG is at a walking distance from the metro station but dimly lit road is my concern. I have been harassed a couple of times while walking down that road but I don't have any other option.”
Some women commuters, given the inadequate security, have given up their usual travel routes and have opted to take alternate, longer, routes. Tabassum, a postgraduate student at Jamia Millia Islamia, expressed her concern over the inadequate lighting near Jama Masjid metro station.
“I generally exit from Jama Masjid metro station gate number 2, but in the late hours due to inadequate lighting and deserted roads, it becomes a place to drink alcohol for many people and also a place for harassment, robbery and molestation. For my safety, I exit from Chawri Bazar metro station and take a rickshaw home. It’s really scary to take exit from Jama Masjid metro station.”
After speaking to a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson, I learned that roads and infrastructures outside the metro stations are not covered under the ambit of DMRC and and thus to be maintained by civic authorities. He says:
“As far as foot over bridges and subways are concerned, we ensure that there should be adequate lighting and we have installed more than 5,000 CCTV cameras since they’re covered under the purview of DMRC.”
According to the official, DMRC shares feedback regarding traffic, inadequate lighting and unauthorised parking on the roads near metro stations with the concerned authorities. The spokesperson told me:
“We are continuously in touch with them (civic and other concerned authorities) but at the end of the day, it’s their duty to work on the feedback and come up with solutions.”
A senior CISF official said that CISF personnel are also deployed at entry and exit points of metro stations to provide safety to commuters in late hours. There is frequent coordination between the DMRC, the CISF and the Delhi police. So where is the slack? If thousands of crores can be spent on beautification of metro stations, is it really so hard to ensure proper lighting outside every metro station and gate?
My only question as someone who takes the metro himself – is setting up a lamp post too heavy a task for the government? We need the proposed changes to be implemented.
(The Quint has reached out to the PWD for a comment. This article will be updated as and when there is a response.)
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