With an aim to promote the use of public transport and provide more ease to commuters, the Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar on Tuesday pitched for bringing "greater synergy" in operations of the DMRC and DTC, said with the expansion of the mass rapid transit network this synergy is needed.
On the occasion of the 28th foundation day of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), Kumar while addressing a gathering, also stressed that full implementation of a common mobility card across the network was essential in achieving that synergy. Kumar, who recently took charge as the new chief secretary of Delhi, said, several years ago, he had suggested to the city government to "integrate Delhi Metro and DTC" but somehow that has not been considered.
Kumar said, "If we cannot integrate the two, we can surely bring in greater synergy in operations of the metro and the buses, and synergy in scheduling services. With the advancement in technology, use of public transport has to be enhanced."
Addressing the people, Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), in his address described DMRC as an "island of excellence in Delhi", and also emphasised on the need for working in synergy.
"Earlier there was a vacuum and one could operate that way, but now if we work separately and not in an integrated way, then everyone will suffer loss, and we won't be able to leverage the benefit of synergy," he said. There is a need for a greater integration among the networks of metro, Indian Railways, and the new Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) that is coming up, to provide greater ease to commuters, he said, adding, the recently-inaugurated foot-over-bridge connecting New Delhi metro station with New Delhi railway station was a welcome integration step, and has provided ease to people.
He also said the entry from Ring Roadside to the multimodal transport complex coming up at Sarai Kale Khan, also needs to be looked into and properly planned.
DMRC's Managing Director Vikas Kumar later told reporters that DMRC and DTC have been endeavouring to have an integration in operation, and the chief secretary essentially emphasised on bring greater synergy in operations, between the two agencies.
"So, let's say, if a person is getting off at a metro station, he or she would know the timing of the buses that can be taken from the nearest place," he said.At present, DMRC is handling operations and maintenance of over 390 km of network, comprising 286 metro stations, including Rapid Metro in Gurugram and Aqua Line in Greater Noida, and is ranked amongst one of the world's largest metro networks.