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Music to prevent suicides on Calcutta Metro

In order to dissuade the depressed from hurtling themselves down before speeding trains, the Calcutta Metro authorities have decided to play classical music on stations to sooth jangled nerves.

Alarmed at the rise in the frequency of suicides at Metro stations - eight this year as against three in 2000 - the authorities hope classical compositions in Hindustani ragas would possibly calm the frayed nerves.

Metro's Chief Operations Manager Jayanta Mitra, said the authorities showed interest in the idea, which had been mooted by an event management outfit aided by a leading national newspaper group, and the ball was set rolling.

The compositions in santoor has been conceived by artiste Tarun Bhattacharya. The move comes after earlier Metro moves like entrusting an NGO to undertake counselling with distressed souls, increasing vigil to check suicide attempts "did not entirely succeed."

"The Lifeline Foundation has been asked to embark on a more sustained campaign on all the Metro stations and display boards proclaiming 'contact Lifeline if you are in stress' at prominent places with neon-lit glow sign," Mitra said.

The Metro authorities also decided to increase police surveillance and deploy more plainclothesmen near the entrance in view of the five snatching cases in and around the stations recently.

PTI

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