Ahmedabad’s Metro network is seeing a marked rise in passenger violations, with offences classified under nuisance and drunkenness accounting for nearly three-quarters of cases recorded since May 2022. The pattern matters beyond commuter discipline: repeated spitting and tobacco-related violations can increase cleaning costs, damage public infrastructure and weaken the quality of a mass-transit system intended to offer a cleaner alternative to road travel.
Data supplied by Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC) for May 2022 to July 2026 records 4,972 offences across the network. Of these, 3,669 — about 73.8% — were registered under Section 59(1) of the Metro Railways (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002. The classification needs some explanation. Section 59 covers intoxication, nuisance, indecent conduct and behaviour that interferes with passenger comfort. GMRC officials have indicated that, in Ahmedabad, the category also captures violations involving the carrying or consumption of tobacco products such as mava. It therefore should not be read as a measure of alcohol-related incidents alone. The increase has been substantial. Section 59(1) cases rose from 89 in 2022 to 410 in 2023 and 876 in 2024, before reaching 1,646 in 2025. Another 648 cases were recorded in the first seven months of 2026. Overall, the data indicates that enforcement activity is increasingly centred on passenger behaviour rather than simply fare compliance.
Ticket-related violations remain significant but smaller in number. Travelling without a valid ticket or pass accounted for 467 cases during the period, rising from one case in 2022 to 193 in 2025 and 144 during the first seven months of 2026. Other offences included unauthorised entry, obstruction of officials, track access and misuse of communication or alarm systems. For an urban transport network, the environmental and financial consequences of such behaviour are easy to underestimate. Spitting tobacco residue can stain station surfaces and rolling stock, requiring additional cleaning, repainting and maintenance. Those recurring costs ultimately sit within the operating economics of public transport. More importantly, visible deterioration can discourage passengers from treating shared infrastructure as a civic asset.
The regulatory backdrop has also changed. Amendments under the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 brought the relevant Metro Railways provisions into force from June 19, 2026. The amended framework raises the maximum Section 59 penalty to ₹2,500, while shifting several minor violations towards monetary penalties rather than criminal prosecution. That change makes consistent enforcement more important. For Ahmedabad, the next challenge is not merely collecting fines but keeping stations and trains clean, accessible and comfortable as ridership expands. Ahmedabad Metro violations are ultimately a measure of how well a growing public transport system can protect both passenger experience and the long-term value of urban infrastructure.
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Ahmedabad Metro violations rise on mava complaints
