Delhiites will have to wait a little longer to avail the services of the new Mandi House Metro station as its opening has been delayed by nearly two weeks. The project seems to be stuck in the final leg as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is still awaiting safety inspection of the station.

While even the ‘finishing’ work is completed in the station, the reason for the delay is that the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) is yet to inspect the new facility. Sources said that the DMRC had submitted all the required paperwork for the mandatory safety inspection to the CMRS in the first week of April. It is only after the safety clearance issued by the commissioner that the new service shall be commenced.

Touted as the solution to overcrowding at Rajiv Chowk, the station was to be opened after March 31, according to DMRC. later, it was pushed to end of April and now the service is expected to be open for the public only after May 16 — counting day for the lok Sabha elections. “The station will be thrown open to the public as soon as we get the safety clearance from the CMRS,” said a DMRC official.

Termed as the ‘Heritage line’, the Mandi House station along with the one being built at Janpath is part of the extension of the Badarpur-Central Secretariat line. The three-kilometre long Heritage line will have artistic metallic structures of Jantar Mantar and Agrasen Ki Baoli apart from a picture gallery depicting the evolution of the two areas in posh lutyens’ Delhi.

From housing a brick-kiln to being a cultural hub, the new Mandi House station promises to give an ‘informative journey’ to its commuters. The station which is coming up opposite the existing one will have two broad backlit panels of 37 feet by 6 feet each. The panels will feature texts and photographs reflecting the history of the city and have been installed by the DMRC in collaboration with the Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR).