Closure of Metro stations leaves NCR commuters in a travel fix

MONDAY’S PROTEST, DURING WHICH JATS HAVE THREATENED TO ENTER DELHI, HAS LED DMRC TO SHUT 22 STNS

protest threat by Jats has left residents of Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Noida in a fix.

The protest on Monday, during which Jats have threatened to enter Delhi en masse, has prompted DMRC to shut 22 stations in NCR and 12 stations and Delhi police to shut certain roads till further notice from Sunday . NCR residents said they were worried about making alternate travel arrangements.

Anita Manoharan, a resident of Uniworld Gardens in Gurgaon Sector 47, for example, said she was contemplating moving to Moti Bagh in New Delhi where her parents live.

Anita, who works at an NGO based in Green Park, said she cannot rely on app-based cabs to travel from Gurgaon . “If the cabs decide to go on a strike, I will be in a fix. Hence, moving to my parent’s house makes sense as I can avail buses or autos from there,” Anita said.

Residents of Ghaziabad said the shutting of Vaishali and Kaushambi stations was likely to hit them severely.

“Commuters are going to face a harrowing time. From last terminating station (in Delhi) at Anand Vihar, it is difficult to find transport to Vaishali, Indirapuram,” said Sanjeev Sethi, an Indirapuram resident who commutes to Cyber City, Gurgaon.

Women commuters said they will face security concerns travelling back home from Delhi.

“Autos are unsafe but they will be our only option to travel back home. Metro was convenient as it dropped passengers inside Ghaziabad,” said Preeti Sinha, a resident of Kavi Nagar, Ghaziabad.

Sudip Sahoo, a resident of Noida Sector 28 said: “I extensively use the Metro for commuting from Noida to Delhi. The shutting down of stations will affect me financially as I will have to depend on cabs for travel”.