Farmers Movement Archive

Metro to remain suspended from NCR cities to Delhi on Friday

Metro services to Delhi from stations in neighbouring NCR cities such as Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad will remain suspended on Friday in view of farmers’ protests, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said on Thursday. Trains from Delhi to these cities, however, will ply as usual. The corporation also clarified that metro services in Delhi, and within the respective NCR cities -- as well as the rapid metro -- will run normally.After remaining suspended on seven corridors for most of the day due to the protests, normal services to and from NCR cities resumed from 5pm on Thursday. But in a statement issued on Thursday evening, DMRC announced that train services from NCR towards Delhi will not be available on Friday as a precautionary measure. “As advised by Delhi Police, Metro services will be available only from Delhi towards the NCR sections. However, services from NCR stations towards Delhi will not be available due to security reasons till further notice.”Between 2pm and 5pm on Thursday, DMRC resumed services from Delhi towards other NCR cities, but trains from the opposite direction weren’t allowed. It was only after 5pm that Delhi Police allowed DMRC to resume full operations, including travel from NCR to the Capital.Most of Thursday, commuters travelling from or to Delhi faced problems as Metro restricted its routes in the wake of the farmers calling for a “Dilli Chalo” march in protest against the Centre’s recently passed farm bills. This was done on the request of Delhi Police to avoid overcrowding amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The move left a number of passengers stranded, who had to either book a cab, take e-rickshaw or a three-wheeler for their journey.Greater Noida resident Vivek Rana, who stays in GTB Nagar and is preparing for civil services, said he was stranded at Mayur Vihar Extension as there was no service beyond New Ashok Vihar for those wanting to go to Noida.“I had to book a bike ride because cabs were costly. Even cab drivers are apprehensive in crossing the border because of the heavy police presence,” he said.Sanjeev Kumar Jha, 49, who travels everyday for work from Dwarka, Sector 9, to Noida, Sector 15, by Delhi Metro, said, “Today, I had to get down at New Ashok Nagar and then take an e-rickshaw to reach my office in Sector 5.”Another passenger who had to reach Noida, Sector 168, said when he got off at Mayur Vihar Extension Metro station, he booked two cabs but both cancelled the rides as no one wanted to cross border. E-rickshaw drivers and auto drivers plying near Metro stations, however, got lucky as they had plenty of passengers willing to go to Noida, many of these getting off at New Ashok Nagar and Mayur Vihar Metro stations. Ratan Singh, a 40-year-old auto driver, said the first drop he got in the morning was at Noida, Sector 18. “We don’t get such passengers because Metro has direct connectivity. Some even got far off drops,” Singh added.These sections will be shut on Friday till further orders, DMRC officials said. On the Red line, no service will be available between Dilshad Garden and Major Mohit Sharma Rajender Nagar section.Similarly, on the Yellow line (Samaypur Badli-HUDA city Centre) services will not be available between Sultanpur and Guru Dronacharya stations.Trains will not run between Noida City Centre and New Ashok Nagar and Vaishali to Anand Vihar.On the Inderlok-Mundka corridor (Green line), services will not be available between Tikri Kalan and Brig.Similarly, on the Violet line, there will be no trains between Badarpur Border and Mewala Maharajpur section. DMRC officials said regular services will be available on the Airport line and other corridors.On the Magenta line, no services will be available from Jasola Vihar-Shaheen Bagh and Botanical Garden.

Hindustan Times

27-11-2020

Delhi