Cops pray for Badarpur line to open now

NEW DELHI: The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) finally started inspection of Central Secretariat to Sarita Vihar Metro section on Friday. Even as an official date of opening of the line is yet to be announced, the traffic police are banking heavily upon it to get operational to facilitate movement of people to Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium on the day of the Games opening ceremony.
The inspection of the 20.16-km line, of which about five kms will not open right now, is likely to take two days.The line would be opened for public use if it gets the mandatory clearance from CMRS. ‘‘We are still waiting for the safety certification from CMRS. The inspection is going on and the line will be opened when the certification comes through,’’ said a DMRC spokesperson. If inspection gets over on Saturday, the line is likely to open next day. Incidentally, the venue for the ceremony, JLN stadium, also falls on this section.
To contain the volume of traffic on the roads, the traffic police are depending heavily on this section so that commuters can use this line to reach JLN stadium, which has limited parking space. ‘‘People coming for the opening ceremony are advised to use the Metro and avoid bringing personal vehicles as there is no parking at the venue. Special arrangements are being made to facilitate movement of people from Metro stations to the stadium,’’ said Ajay Chadha, special commissioner of police (traffic).
The traffic police have advised spectators using Gurgaon to Jehangirpuri Metro line to get off at the Jor Bagh Metro station. From here, DTC will run shuttle buses to JLN stadium at a 1-2 minute frequency after 2pm. People taking Metro line from Central Secretariat and Sarita Vihar should get down at JLN Stadium or Jangpura Metro stations. Both the stations are close to the stadium, so the spectators have been advised to walk to the venue from there.
Women commuters on Delhi Metro will get the advantage of ladies’ coaches from Saturday. The first coach in Metro trains will be reserved for women. ‘‘We have inducted about 450 women commuter facilitation agents to guide passengers. Platforms have been marked with stickers to indicate the location of the coaches,” said a spokesperson.