Should all passengers bear brunt of rooftop travellers’ delinquency?

It may cause inconvenience, but most welcome decision not to let train leave station if passengers are on the roof.

Move will dissuade errant travellers
It’s a practical move and should work. The Railway Police Force should also help to make it work. The decision not to let any train leave a station, even if a single person is seen travelling on the roof will certainly dissuade people from the act. It may cause delays but it does not mean that human lives can be put in jeopardy. If people are made aware of the danger and penalty they won’t climb in the first place.
—Priya Poojari

Who will monitor the drive?
It’s a great move but what about the unnecessary delay that commuters will face? Will they halt after every station? Many times these people get in from subsequent stations and not necessarily from the first stop. Will the administration be deploying people to look into this? Millions of commuters travelling everyday can’t waste time for a few miscreants. Any measure should be carried in an organised fashion.
—Farhan Shaikh

Encourages youngsters to imitate act
Finally the railway authorities have decided to take some measures against those travelling on rooftops. They are not merely risking their lives, but also in a way encouraging other youngsters to do the same. It is a common scene to watch people travelling on rooftops. This is not just during the peak hours, but also if the trains are not very crowded. Some people are just used to travelling on the rooftops for fun and taking the risk.
—Aarushi K

It will stop eve-teasing and thefts too
The offenders need to realise the consequences of rooftop travelling. There have been many fatal incidents in the past, but people still continue to travel awkwardly. They also get a chance to tease women and it has also resulted in theft too. So it’s not just the thrill of travelling on rooftops, but also other anti-social activities as well. There are other ways to penalise these people, they need to be fined heavily. 
—Sailee Pagnis

Repeat offenders can be jailed
This is a good move. There are many other things that need to be taken care of in the railways. They need to improve the cleanliness aspect and reduce delay of trains. We have warned fellow commuters about the need to travel safely and not get onto rooftops. They need to be reprimanded, so that such acts don’t happen again. The authorities need to see that they implement these norms properly.
—Hardik Rajgor

Compiled by Brinda Majithia