Managing cards has always been a tricky business for students. They tap College ID cards at AFC gates and flash Metro Cards to college guards. In order to clear the card clutter for students, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Delhi Travel Corporation (DTC) have come up with a new fool-proof plan, the college ID Cards of the students shall, beginning 1st October 2018, double up for Delhi Metro Smart Cards.
The barcode lines on the back of the average College ID card will act as the connect between the University and
the DMRC. DU has been in talks with the two corporations for a while. The card shall not only provide better
accessibility to mass transit systems in the capital, it shall also entitle them to 45% discount during peak hours, and 20% discount during non-peak hours. This has also given a new direction to the political manifestos of the various fronts operating within the varsity. Mr. Moosa Heirawala, Dean Students’ Welfare, University of Delhi, says, “It was peculiar to hear that various political fronts approached the Chief Minister to ask for fare deductions, since, we were already planning to get 45% discount on Metro and DTC rides to the students through this venture.” Such arrangements have been made to facilitate the transits of the student body. The students too, on their side have accepted the news with open arms.
“My girlfriend lives in Dwarka, and shuttles to North Campus daily. Earlier, because of sharp metro fares, I used to
take the Airport Express with her from New Delhi, go all the way to Dwarka, and without making the exit, had to
wait for the train outbound for New Delhi. But now, I will finally be able to make an exit. It is all because of the
new facility that has been incorporated into the existing system,” says Janaki Prasad, a frustrated student. Quite interestingly, it has been observed that although the present strength in colleges on any given day is generally not that high, all the ID Cards pay a tap to the AFC gates across various metro stations every day. It is noticed that cards of even those students, who have forgotten what their college campus looked like, are being used daily which has brought forth some stark criticism amongst the management at DMRC.
“We have observed that students are giving their cards to others in exchange for favours. This shall not be tolerated. We’re in talks with the University to link card usage with attendance. If a student is marked present in college, s/he shall be credited with discount in her/ his card,” says the President of DMRC.
While the fate of this plan hangs in a balance, the students are trying to make the best use of it while they can.
Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is only to be appreciated and not accepted.
Feature Image Credits: CitySpidey
Aashish Jain
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