Time-saving and fast, Lucknow Metro does the job for office-goers

LUCKNOW: Monday, the first working day after launch of the 23km North-South corridor of Lucknow Metro for public on Saturday, saw a large number of people taking Metro to work. Most of them were office-goers and small businessmen as the route covers areas housing major government departments, private concerns and commercial places.


The maximum rush was witnessed at three Metro stations in the underground stretch -

Hussainganj

, Sachivalaya and Hazratganj. The area houses Bapu Bhawan, Vidhan Sabha, headquarters of two nationalised banks, a few hospitals and main the Hazratganj market.

Anita Yadav, a Secretariat employee, said, "The Metro till my office is a big relief as earlier I used car for commuting and often got stuck in traffic jams. But now I have decided to use the Metro as it safe and saves a lot of time."

Ramesh Mishra, a bank employee who was travelling from Charbagh to Hazratganj said, "I am happy about the Metro because it has saved me from long and strenuous traffic jams. The fare is quite decent compared to other means of public transport."

Muskaan Mishra, a banker in Halwasiya, said, "I am using the Metro for commuting since the last three days for going to my office. Now, there is no tension of facing traffic jams. I have stopped using my personal vehicle to reach my workplace." Other areas where officegoers were spotted included Lekhraj, Bhootnath and

Indiranagar

. Neera Khatri, an employee at a pathology lab in Lekhraj, said, "I am going to use the Metro daily as the station is just a 5-minute walk from my home. Now I can commute to my office in air-conditioned cabin without getting stuck in traffic jam and getting exposed to vehicular pollution." Besides students, many employees and teachers of Lucknow University and IT College were also seen using Metro. Srishti Sharma, a commuter travelling from Krishnanagar to University, said, "When Metro was not operating I used to take an auto every morning to travel till my workplace. It took around half an hour for me to find an auto and the charges were very high as well. But now I use the Metro for travelling as it is very economical and safe."