Kolkata Metro Railway has issued a plea to commuters, urging them to maintain cleanliness amid reports of unsanitary conditions at recently inaugurated stations, marred by gutkha and paan stains, as well as plastic waste littering the premises.
The inauguration of the country's inaugural underwater metro service, linking Howrah Maidan and Esplanade stations along the East-West corridor of the Kolkata Metro Railway, took place earlier this month.
In an official statement, Metro Railway CPRO Koushik Mitra highlighted the importance of upholding the cleanliness standards set by the older north-south line, the country's pioneer metro service.
"It has come to our notice that a section of the commuters, travelling in the new corridor, are turning the new, beautifully decorated metro stations dirty, unhealthy with gutkha stains, dumping sachets, and plastics in an indiscriminate manner. This is turning the ambience inside in this corridor as unhygienic," the statement emphasised.
The Metro Railway has appealed for cooperation from commuters to preserve cleanliness in the newer corridors, akin to the standards observed in the north-south line.
Following the commencement of services along the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of the East-West Metro on March 15, concerns surfaced over the presence of gutkha and paan stains on the walls of Howrah Maidan and Esplanade stations, along with instances of plastic packet littering.
Social media platforms have been abuzz with images portraying these issues, prompting commuters to call upon the Metro Railway to address the situation promptly.