Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal flagged off metro services on the Najafgarh – Dhansa Bus Stand stretch of the Delhi Metro today. The inauguration of the stretch which will make the Grey Line Metro accessible to a sizable chunk of population living in Outer Delhi. The Chief Minister emphasised on the criticality of the stretch that may seem short but caters to very densely populated areas and appreciated the efforts of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in handling the project. He further talked about how the people of Najafgarh had asked for this stretch when he went to them to ask for votes during the elections and how the Delhi Government delivered upon its promise. On the occasion, Union Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Delhi’s Transport Minister Shri Kailash Gahlot, Ambassador of Japan in India Shri Satoshi Suzuki and MD – DMRC Shri Mangu Singh were present apart from other dignitaries and officials in the ceremony that was held virtually.
With the opening of this section, the Dwarka – Dhansa Bus Stand Grey Line corridor will become 6.1 kilometres long with four stations. With an interchange at Dwarka, the Grey Line will provide seamless connectivity from Najafgarh and Dhansa Stand to different parts of the city. The metro connectivity to Dhansa Bus Stand will immensely benefit the residents of the interior areas around Najafgarh and Dhansa Bus Stand
Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal, while flagging off the metro, said, “It is a moment of great delight for all the people of Outer Delhi, especially the residents of Najafgarh. Till now, the route of the Delhi Metro would end at Delhi Gate region in Najafgarh. There are about 50 such villages in the area from where a huge number of people come to inner Delhi to work. All these people had to cross the Phirni Road Chowk to get to the Metro, which would result in a huge traffic jam at the Chowk. Now that the metro services have been extended to the Dhansa Bus Stand, people won’t need to cross the Chowk and stand in traffic. The route may be just 1.5 kms long but it is a very significant stretch for the residents. A large number of people come from Jhajjar, Haryana to work in Delhi. They too will get a lot of help from this service.”
“I remember how in February 2015, when I visited the region for election campaigning, people would put forth a demand. They asked us to make one more station on the stretch. We promised them that we’ll get the Dhansa Station made. It was one of the first things we did when we came into power. The Delhi Government had put forth a proposal which the Centre approved, and we thank them for that. I want to congratulate the entire team of DMRC, all the officers, engineers and Shri Mangu Singh upon their success. I would also like to thank the Centre for always supporting the Metro Projects in Delhi,” the CM said.
Transport Minister Shri Kailash Gahlot took to Twitter to share his delight and said, “Congratulations Najafgarh!
Today is very important to me for two reasons. First as Transport Minister of Delhi – Expanding the existing metro network in Delhi and second as MLA of Najafgarh – a new metro station (Dhansa Bus Stand) is being added in the Najafgarh constituency.”
*Salient features of the new metro stretch*
– The Dhansa Bus Stand Metro Station has been decorated with colourful artwork which beautifully captures the local culture, lifestyle and rich biodiversity of the area. DMRC has made an effort to portray the heritage and culture of the area through the artworks at its station.
– The Dhansa Bus Stand Station building has been given the Platinum Rating by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). This is the highest possible rating for adherence to green building norms.
– The newly opened section of Delhi Metro will reduce burden on roads and will provide safer and comfortable public transport options in the nearby areas.
– The Dhansa Bus Stand Metro Station has been built underground and has all amenities and modern infrastructure to provide easy mobility at entry and exit.
– The Dhansa Bus Stand Metro Station is the first ever underground Metro Station of the Delhi Metro network to have an entire underground floor dedicated to parking of vehicles. The parking facility is integrated with the main station area, where vehicle users will be able to park their cars and two wheelers and then proceed to the concourse of the station directly using lifts and escalators.- Efforts are in progress to improve the last mile connectivity in the city through different modes of eco-friendly mobility. Recently, the DMRC launched electric feeder buses and other options such as e-rickshaws and e-bikes are already available. In the future, more facilities will be launched to ease the last mile connectivity.
– The Delhi Metro is already one of the largest metro networks in the world. Once the Phase IV project is completed, DMRC will surpass even the London Tube, in terms of the network length. The Phase IV expansion of Delhi Metro project on three priority corridors i.e Majlis Park to Maujpur, Janakpuri West to R K Ashram Marg: and Delhi Aerocity to Tughlakabad is under construction.
(EW Correspondent)
