With the Delhi metro services resuming with curtailed operations on Blue and Pink lines with strict safety and social distancing measures being in place, approx 53,400 passengers traveled on Wednesday.
However, those passengers who had not installed Aarogya Setu mobile App in their phone were not allowed to enter station premises by staff deployed at entry gate of metro station despite the guidelines issued by the metro authorities stated that the app is advisable.
Trains are being operated in two batches of four-hour each from 7-11 AM and 4-8 PM in the first stage. Several commuters on Wednesday arrived at the stations of the Delhi Metro which started the services after a break of 171 days but many of them were forced to return back by staff deployed at gate.
“I read the instruction in the newspaper and it said that the having downloaded the particular app in mobile phones is advisable but was denied entry into the Noida sector 15 station premises by staff because the app was not installed in my phone,” said Sudhir Tyagi, who work as software professional in Gurugram.
There were many like Sudhir who were denied entry at various stations of Delhi metro. “I had no option to accept coming out after being denied entry. I downloaded the app and again returned back at Laxmi Nagar station to access entry,” Rahul Asthana, a student of Delhi University said, adding that it means that poor cannot board the train as they usually do not have smartphones.
Rahul further said that he saw people downloading the app before entering the premises. “How difficult it is for a person to reach at the metro station during the pick of Covid-19 and be denied entry because they have not installed an app. If it is compulsory then authorities should have informed people about it. Why did they say the app is advisable,” he said.
However, Anuj Dayal, Executive Director of the DMRC said “In these times of Corona pandemic, it is the duty and responsibility of everyone to ensure that no-one’s safety and health is compromised while travelling by the Metro. Use of Arogya Setu App is one such step to ensure that and it is advisable that those who can have Arogya Setu App in their phones must use it while heading for the Metro. DMRC is not stopping anyone from travelling without the App but, in the larger public interest it is advisable to use the App’
“Use of Arogya Setu app is only advisory in nature and there are clear cut directions to staff in this regard. We would reiterate the same to staff to avoid any such occurrence,” he added.
“With the services available on multiple lines from (Yellow, Blue and Pink Lines), the total ridership was approx 33,300 (Yellow Line: 21,900, Blue Line: 9,600, Pink Line: 1,800) in the morning hours of 7 AM to 11 AM,” he said.
“However, it is clarified that actual utilisation of a metro system is reflected from the number of journeys performed by a passenger in completing a journey by using one or more lines (line utilisation) and not by ridership alone. Therefore, provision of sharing ridership figures is an interim arrangement till all Lines are re-opened by 12th September,” he added.
To reflect the true utilisation of Delhi Metro’s network by passengers, DMRC will revert to line utilisation (passenger journeys) figures after 12th September, he said.
“DMRC will be running 35 trains on Red Line (Rithala-Shaheed Sthal New Bus Adda) performing around 413 train trips during morning and evening hours on 10th September 2020. Similarly, 40 trains with approx. 344 trips will be put into service on the Violet Line (Kashmere Gate-Raja Nahar Singh). On the Green Line(Kirtinagar/Inderlok- Brig. Hoshiar Singh), 20 trains with 268 train trips will be put into service,” he said.
The trips will be subsequently increased as the operational timing of services get extended on 11th & 12th September with the opening of other lines in a graded manner,” he said.
As the day began, some riders wearing face masks were seen entering the premises of key stations like Rajiv Chowk, Noida Sector 15 and Anand Vihar on the Blue Line, which connects Dwarka Sector 21 in Delhi to Electronic City (Noida) and Vaishali (Ghaziabad). The Pink Line connects Majlis Park to Shiv Bihar.
According to DMRC, the Blue and Pink lines will ensure availability of nine of the existing 28 interchange Metro stations, including Rajouri Garden (Blue Line and Pink Line); INA Delhi Haat (Yellow and Pink Line); Mayur Vihar Phase - I (Blue Line and Pink Line); Rajiv Chowk (Blue Line and Yellow Line); Anand Vihar ISBT (Blue Line and Pink Line) and Sikanderpur (Yellow Line and Rapid Metro).