NEW DELHI: The Delhi Metro stations on Wednesday witnessed long queues stretched to over 2 kms and passengers who had to wait for over 45 minutes just to enter a station, a day after the government restricted the passenger occupancy to 50 per cent in metros and buses.
The restrictions were imposed following a ‘Yellow’ alert enforced by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, owing to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases. The orders entailed that the metros will run with 50 per cent occupancy, with no standing passengers allowed.
The passengers complained about waiting for long hours outside the stations, missing the trains due to heavy rush and 100 per cent seating occupancy despite the restrictions. Akshardham metro station, Laxmi Nagar metro station, Rohini metro, Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House, Okhla Bird Sanctuary and Lajpat Nagar metro were among the stations which witnessed huge crowds during the peak office hours.
Rajat Thapar, a passenger at the Mandi House Metro station said, “I appreciate that the metros are running with 50 per cent occupancy but there need to be some monitoring done at the stations. People are running to the platforms as if they will miss the train and another train will come the next day.”
Passengers shared pictures from inside the trains showing how all seats were occupied and there was no place to even stand.Another traveller, Rakulpreet, said, “DMRC checked our patience today by making us wait outside the stations for long and then closing the nearest gates to our respective destinations and forcing us to walk extra miles. They may have done this to follow the Yellow alert guidelines but the situations it led to were in violation of the rules. Where was the social distance?”
However the Executive Director of DMRC Anuj Dayal, said, “Due to the strict reinforcement of the social distancing norms, the passengers are advised to plan their journey in advance and allow for some additional time for their commute.”
He further said, “As part of the intensified measures for containing Covid-19 spread, 15 flying squads have been deployed across the Delhi Metro network to ensure that the Covid safety protocol is strictly adhered to by the passengers inside trains and premises.”