Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia inaugurated the 9.7 km Mayur Vihar-Lajpat Nagar metro corridor on Monday. ‘Delhi Metro dilli ki rozmarrah ki jarurat hai, dilli ka shauk nahi hai’, (Delhi metro is not the desire and want, it is the need of the common people), he said.
The inaugural event also saw the presence of the Hardeep Singh Puri, Union minister of state (Independent) Hardeep Singh Puri, Chairman of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Mangu Singh, Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador to Japan, and Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Durga Shanker Mishra. “South and east Delhi have now been connected directly on the network and commuters can save time by using it, who otherwise had to rely on road transport or a longer route on the Delhi Metro,” he said.
Also, the Mayur Vihar Phase-I on Blue Line has become the 25th major interchange point of the Delhi Metro station, with opening of the 9.7 km Mayur Vihar Pocket-I to Lajpat Nagar, an extension of the already operational Pink Line.
“70 pc of Delhi’s land is covered by unauthorised colonies, slums, and in that sort of setup, providing quality public transport was a challenge, & DMRC accepted it. When it can make the provide the network in an impossible area, then the government should also think about to create ways to reduce the fare to lessen the burden of the people,” said Manish Sisodia.
Praising the civil engineers, labourers and others associated with the metro construction, Sisodia said, “The fares of the Metro are too high for ordinary commuters of the city. Comparing Delhi Metro fares with those of Metros in other countries is unfair. The higher fares in other countries correspond with higher per capita income, GDP and minimum wages. These are important factors to consider when fares are fixed. The manner in which Delhi Metro engineering has made the impossible possible, I urge them to consider Delhi’s socio-economic realities and resolve this problem through ‘economic engineering.” Trains will operate between Majlis Park and Mayur Vihar Pocket 1 at a peak hour frequency of 5 minutes and 12 seconds. A total 29 trains will be operational on this line.