escalator

CCTV cameras

I walked up the steps of the moving escalator and as soon as I stepped on the platform, two KSISF officials stopped me and started shouting at me for climbing up the stairs – Abhijit Gowda, Metro commuter and complainant

smart card

Swami Vivekananda

Bangalore

BMRCL

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blowing whistles

BMRCL’s escalator rules

Guards have come up with own set of rulesIf you are in the habit of climbing up a moving, better not do it at the Metro station. Or prepare to be admonished like school students.While all Metro stations have, the Karnataka State Industrial Security Force (KSISF) officials are also keeping a watch on commuters.Recently Abhijith Gowda realised this when he ran up the steps of a moving escalator at the Sir M Visve­svaraya Metro station and was pulled up by the KSISF for doing so. Gowda said two guards yelled at him when they noticed him walking up the moving escalator. In his defence, Gowda argued that the station was almost empty and there were no commuters either ahead or behind him on the escalator and he wondered why the guards were upset by it.He further reiterated that he was neither running nor did his actions have the potential to hurt anyone.However, Gowda was forced to stand and be ticked off by the KSISF personnel. Realising that he was running late for work, Gowda boarded the train and later filed a complaint against the KSISF personnel on the same day.Abhijith Gowda, a regular Metro commuter says, “I had topped up my Metroon the same day. I usually walk up a few steps on the escalator, especially when I am late but I have never pushed or hurt anyone in the process. This particular incident happened during the non-peak hours on Monday afternoon. The station was nearly empty so I walked up the steps of the moving escalator and as soon as I stepped on the platform, two KSISF officials stopped me and started shouting at me for climbing up the stairs.”Gowda, a resident of HSR Layout and a realty business developer by profession, had parked his car at theMetro station on November 11, and travelled to the Sir M Visvesvaraya station. The incident occurred when he was going up to the station using the escalators. “I usually take the stairs and this is the first time that I have been stopped and yelled at while walking up a running escalator.”When contacted,Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) says that it has not given any instructions to its staff to check people walking up moving escalators. A seniorofficial says, “There are no instructions that people cannot walk up a few steps of the moving escalator. As long as they do not hurt themselves or others, it is alright. We will check the incident and the complaint.”Talking about the complaint, Gowda said, “I was hurrying to meet my lawyer on that day. When I shared the incident with him, he suggested that I give a written complaint to the customer relations team at the Metro station. The behaviour of the guards was very hostile. They were shouting at me. I opened the BMRCL website and showed them that there were no such rules against walking up moving escalators. But they continued to shout. The argument went about for 5 minutes.”A number of commuters say that the KSISF personnel caution them bywhen they climb the steps of a moving escalator. In January this year, an 18-month-old had succumbed to injuries after falling off an escalator while being carried by her grandfather, as he lost balance. The child had fallen from a height of 40 feet on Mahakavi Kumvempu road. BMRCL was one of the parties that had been held responsible for negligence by the family of the infant. Officials say that the objection to walk on the escalators by the home guards could be a way to caution the commuters and prevent such untoward incidents.A Metro security official at Trinity Metro station informed, “There are no such rules. People can run up the steps of a moving escalator as long as they don’t hurt anyone. If there’s an accident, we press the emergency button to stop the elevator and then deal with the passenger.” Another security official at the Vijayanagar Metro station said, “There are rules that one shouldn’t sit or run on a moving escalator but people don’t follow them. These KSISF personnel can’t desert their stations and run behind commuters. Sometimes they ignore them.”* Always hold the handrail* Face towards the moving direction* Take extra care of children, the elderly and disabled* If the escalator stops, use the staircase* If escalator is not working, please inform Customer Care* Please stand on the left to allow others to walk past* Sit or play on the escalators* Lean on the edge of escalators* Let children use the escalator alone* Stand or wait on the landing area of escalators* Take prams or baggage on escalators