Advocate Ira
Gupta and Dr KK Aggarwal
On Friday i.e. 07.06.2019 in
Hindustan Times newspaper it was published that “DMRC may issue pink tokens
for free rides”. Women wanting to avail free Metro rides, a scheme
announced by the Delhi Government, may be able to do so only by taking pink
tokens from Metro stations, transport minister Kailash Gahlot said Thursday…
A metro official, on a
condition of anonymity, said the scheme does not mean female passengers can
just walk into a Metro train without a card or token. “Those who want to avail
of this will be asked their destination and the ticketing staff will top up the
token with the requisite amount. The Delhi Government is likely to pay the cost
incurred by this scheme beforehand to DMRC, the official said…”
On Monday, Delhi Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that women will be allowed to travel without
charge on buses and metro trains in NCR.
It is quite shocking that
Delhi Government in the name of right to equality under Article 14 of the
Constitution of India is providing free rides to females, but Delhi Government
has forgotten the preamble of the Constitution of India, which strives to
provide for welfare state with socialistic patterns of society under the
Article 21 of the Constitution, guarantees the right to life & personal
liberty. The concept of democratic socialism aims to improve the condition of
health care of the people.
Part IV of the Indian
Constitution which is Directive principles of State Policy imposed duty on
states. Articles 38 of the Constitution impose liability on state that state
secure a social order for the promotion of welfare of the people but without
public health we can’t achieve it.
Article 39(e) related with
workers to protect their health. Article 41 imposed duty on state to public
assistance basically for those who are sick & disable. Article 42 says that
it is a primary responsibility of the state to protect the health of infant
& mother by maternity benefit. Article 47 spells out the duty of the state
to raise the level of nutrition & the standard of living of its people as
primary responsibility.
On 05.02.2018, Heart Care
Foundation of India (HCFI) a registered charitable trust had filed an
application under the Right to Information Act with Delhi Metro Rail
Corporation (DMRC) asking about various questions relating to the medical
facility at the metro stations and inside the metros.
Vide reply dated 09.03.2018
DMRC stated that there is no dispensary available in any metro station, not
even in intersecting metro stations. Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
machine is not being installed neither in any metro station nor in any metro
train. However, some of the DMRC employees have been trained in First Aid
including Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.
DMRC has tied up with CATS
Ambulance for the purpose of emergencies, however, DMRC does not have
information as to in how many minutes the ambulance would reach the metro
station.
A pharmacy / chemist shop is
available only in some metro stations. However, the DMRC does not have the
information relating to the availability of First Aid medicines for Sudden
Cardiac Arrest at the metro stations and inside the metros and also information
relating to the availability of the doctors at the metro stations.
DMRC does not have the
information relating to the number of people died in the last 5 years at the
metro stations.
The question wise answers
received by HCFI from DMRC are reproduced hereunder:
|
Sr. No.
|
RTI Questions
|
Reply by DMRC
|
|
1.
|
Whether there is a
dispensary available / functioning in all metro stations? If so, what are the
timings of such dispensary?
|
No, there is no dispensary
in metro stations
|
|
2.
|
Whether there is any
dispensary available / functioning in the major intersecting metro stations?
If yes, what are the timings of such dispensary?
|
No, there is no dispensary
in metro stations
|
|
3.
|
Are all the staff /
employees / security personnel of Delhi Metro trained in Cardiac First Aid
including Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)?
(CPR: if a person stops
breathing effectively, CPR is a lifesaving technique used to restore
oxygenated blood flow to the vital organs?
|
No, not all but many DMRC
employees have had undergone First Aid training including Cardiopulmonary
Resuscitation (CPR).
|
|
4.
|
Is there any “Automated
External Defibrillator” (AED) being installed at the metro stations? If yes,
how many?
|
At present, Automated
External Defibrillator (AED) are not being installed at Metro Stations /
Metro Trains.
|
|
5.
|
Is there any “Automated
External Defibrillator” (AED) being installed inside the metros? If yes, how
many?
|
At present, Automated
External Defibrillator (AED) are not being installed at Metro Stations /
Metro Trains.
|
|
6.
|
Are First Aid medicines for
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) available at the metro stations?
|
Requested information on
“Are first Aid medicines for sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) available at Metro
station’ is not available in any material form and hence cannot be provided
in terms of section 2(f) of the RTI Act, 2005.
|
|
7.
|
Are First Aid medicines for
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) available inside the metro?
|
Requested information on
“Are first Aid medicines for sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) available at Metro
station’ is not available in any material form and hence cannot be provided
in terms of section 2(f) of the RTI Act, 2005.
|
|
8.
|
Is there any tie-up of the
metro stations with ambulance services for the purposes of emergencies and if
so, in how many minutes such ambulance can reach the metro station?
|
Yes, DMRC has tie up with
CATS ambulance for the purpose of emergencies. Further, requested information
is not available in any material form and hence cannot be provided in terms
of section 2(f) of the RTI Act, 2005.
|
|
9.
|
Whether there is a doctor
available in the working hours of Delhi Metro at the metro stations?
|
Requested information on
‘whether there is a doctor available in the working hours at Delhi Metro at
the Metro Stations’ is not available in any material form and hence cannot be
provided in terms of section 2(f) of the RTI Act, 2005
|
|
10.
|
Is there any pharmacy /
chemist shop available at the metro stations?
|
Yes, there is
pharmacy/chemist shop available at some of the metro station.
|
|
11.
|
How many people have died in
the last 5 years at the metro station?
|
Cases of attempted suicides
are subjected to investigation by concerned police authorities and the death
of an individual in the metro premises is subjected to confirmation by
concerned authorities. As such cases of suicides attempts & deaths since
2013 are not available with DMRC in any material form with DMRC Ltd.
|
|
12.
|
How many people have died in
the last 5 years at the metro station?
|
Cases of attempted suicides
are subjected to investigation by concerned police authorities and the death
of an individual in the metro premises is subjected to confirmation by
concerned authorities. As such cases of suicides attempts & deaths since
2013 are not available with DMRC in any material form with DMRC Ltd.
|
Instead of providing proper
medical facility, Delhi Government is giving free rides only to females.
Providing proper medical
facility and taking care of health of a person is the paramount duty of the
state. In Delhi, public transports like buses, Delhi metro, etc. are used by
not only females but also by the elderly, minors, pregnant women, physically
disabled person, patients, who need a medical facility.
Further, travelling by public
transport itself is a stressful act. Hundreds of people push each other while
entering and exiting the train or bus. Many a times, people fall down, even get
hurt/injured while travelling, but there is no immediate medical facility for
them. Many a times, Delhi metro gets stuck causing respiratory problems, blood
pressure problems to the public. None of the buses, Delhi metro have first aid
box, which is the basic need.
The need of the hour is not
free travel but free and available medical facility.
Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma Shri
Awardee
President Elect Confederation of
Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania
(CMAAO)
Group
Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications
President Heart
Care Foundation of India
Past National President IMA
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