DMRC seeks safety clearance for Ito-kashmere Gate route

New Delhi: The Delhi government’s transport department is planning to introduce a rule to first seek proof of parking space from cab owners before issuing permits to them in the city.the move is aimed at dealing with the parking problem in the national capital. ENS DELHI METRO has finally approached the safety commissioner for the inspection of the 5.17-km Ito-kashmere Gate ‘Heritage Corridor’ of the Violet Line, an indication that the line would be thrown open soon. However, it is likely to miss the March launch deadline.

Once the documents are scrutinised by the Commissioner for Metro Railway Safety’s (CMRS) office, it shall plan to physically inspect the entire section, officials said.

“We submitted papers to the Independent Safety Assessor (ISA) for safety certification of signalling systems, after which the line will be opened,” a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson said.

The Heritage Line, one of the much-vaunted projects of the third phase of Delhi Metro’s expansion works in the capital, has been delayed by around a year. The Line running from the ITO through the historic sites of the Delhi Gate, Jama Masjid and Lal Quila to Kashmere Gate station has missed three deadlines in the last year.

Challenges and accuracy in digging and tunnelling work right under the bases of the historical Mughal era monuments not only took time, unforeseen problems like resistance from locals to vacate homes in densely populated areas of Old Delhi for safety reasons also fed into the delays.

After missing two deadlines last year, the DMRC began trial runs on the Heritage Line in August, aiming to open the line to the public by November. However, shortage of workers during demonetisation and construction ban decreed by the LG’S office as an emergency measure to combat air pollution that hit Delhi late last year delayed construction works.

The line, once operational, will bring down the commute time for passengers travelling from Faridabad to north Delhi and vice-versa. It will also help reduce the crowd at interchange stations like Rajiv Chowk and Central Secretariat.