"Rules without internalised values result in poor compliance." Illustrate with passenger behaviour in public spaces.

Compliance comes from two sources: external rules, which rely on fear of penalty, and internalised values, which rely on conscience. Passenger behaviour in airports, trains and buses shows that when the second is missing, the first rarely works well.

Illustrations from passenger behaviour

• "Aisle lice": passengers stand up and crowd the aisle before the aircraft stops, despite crew instructions. Ironically, this slows deplaning for everyone.
• "Gate lice": travellers crowd boarding gates before their group is called, although boarding is done in sequence.
• Defying crew: most of the 63 passengers put on the No Fly List in one year were banned for not wearing masks or not obeying crew instructions [1].
• Other public spaces: people jump queues at ticket counters, occupy reserved seats on trains, and litter platforms even though signs and fines exist.

Why rules alone fail

• Strong laws miss everyday conduct: the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024 allows up to 2 years' jail or a ₹1 crore fine [2]. Penalties on that scale suit serious violations, not a passenger who stands up early.
• Enforcement depends on discretion: under the 2017 unruly-passenger rules, the airline's own internal committee decides on bans [3]. Airlines want to keep customers happy, so they rarely act on minor misconduct.
• No middle step: between a polite request and a ban, crew have no graded response, so their requests are easily ignored.
• Thin coverage: only 149 passengers were placed on the No Fly List over three years [4]. Most everyday conduct therefore rests on self-discipline.

Values as the missing link

• Civic sense and empathy for elderly, disabled and child passengers make people comply even when no one is watching.
• Article 51A Fundamental Duties are not enforceable in court, but they set the norm of considerate public conduct.

Conscience → Crew request → Airline committee/No Fly List → Statutory penalty
(widest reach)                                             (narrowest reach)

Enforcement ladder: the lower the step, the more compliance depends on values.

Rules set the outer boundary of conduct, but values govern everyday public behaviour. India needs both: graded, fair enforcement, together with civic education through schools, in-flight messaging and campaigns like Swachh Bharat. Grounded in Fundamental Duties, this would turn compliance into a habit and make public spaces orderly and dignified for everyone.