Man Questions Pan Masala Ads At Delhi Metro Station; DMRC Responds, “Not In Our Restricted List”

A daily commuter has now taken to social media to express his disappointment with the Delhi Metro. The reason? An advertisement board promoting a ‘pan masala brand’ at one of its metro stations. The promotion is actually surrogate advertising, and DMRC has now responded to the incident. Here’s what happened. 

Delhi Metro Faces Backlash Over Surrogate Ad Promoting Pan Masala Brand

नोएडा इलेक्ट्रॉनिक सिटी मेट्रो स्टेशन पर इसका प्रचार क्या दिल्ली मेट्रो की अनुमति से हो रहा है ? ये ऐसे मादक पदार्थ के रिश्तेदार है जिन्हें खाकर व्यक्ति आसानी से नशेड़ी य व्यसनी हो सकता है ! कृपया ऐसे प्रचार लगाकर मेट्रो की गरिमा मर्यादा न खराब करे @OfficialDMRC @noida_authority pic.twitter.com/r6xXQcgnGy

— Saransh Sagar () October 27, 2025@saranshsagar999

When we step into a metro station in any city, it’s common to see advertisement boards everywhere, be it for biscuits, milk, or candies. However, a recent post on X has gone viral. A daily commuter, @saranshsagar999, took to his X account and shared images of an ad promoting Vimal Elaichi under the Vimal brand, which also sells Vimal Pan Masala.

The X user questioned why such products were being promoted in the Delhi Metro, calling them “relatives of restricted products.” He wrote, “Is this promotion happening at Noida Electronic City Metro Station with the permission of Delhi Metro? These are relatives of such intoxicating substances that a person can easily become addict or dependent by consuming them!” He further added, “Please do not spoil the dignity and prestige of the metro by putting up such promotions,” and tagged DMRC in his post.

Apparently, the advertisement is a classic example of surrogate advertising: a marketing strategy in which a brand promotes one product to indirectly promote another that’s restricted. In this case, the brand is promoting Vimal Elaichi but indirectly advertising Vimal Pan Masala, its more popular product.

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DMRC Responds To The Viral Post

However, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) responded swiftly to the complaint. They wrote, “Thank you for your suggestion. The Delhi Metro rents out advertising space in metro stations and trains to increase its revenue. The license agreement includes a ‘restricted list,’ which covers items that cannot be advertised. The advertisements mentioned above are not included in this restricted list.” The authorities made it clear that promoting Vimal Elaichi is not against their advertising guidelines.

Still, many netizens weren’t convinced. One user commented, while another wrote, “Who eats Vimal elaichi? Surrogate ads make sure the poor remain addicted to these products. Our govt has improved a lot of things; it needs to work on this immediately.” Another commented, “Our DMRC is as good as the brand ambassador of this ad.”

While several criticised the authorities for allowing such ads, a few others argued that it was just an elaichi advertisement and not a big issue. The post quickly went viral and sparked a conversation about surrogate advertising in public spaces.

Also Read: Delhi Metro’s Golden Line To Connect Airport Terminals T1 And T3? Here’s What We Know So Far

What do you think about this? Do you believe the Delhi Metro was right to display such advertisements at its stations? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Cover Image Courtesy: @saranshsagar999