Commuters caught in two minds over Delhi Metro reopening plan

While some were relieved at the return of a simple, fast commute option, some questioned the timing of the decision in view of the growing number of Covid-19 infections in the national capital.

The news of Delhi Metro resuming services after a hiatus of five months was met with mixed reactions from commuters on Wednesday.c

The Capital recorded 2,509 new cases of the infection on Wednesday — the highest single-day spike in nearly two months. (Hindustan Times file photo)

The Capital recorded 2,509 new cases of the infection on Wednesday — the highest single-day spike in nearly two months.

Sujeev Singh Panna, a resident of northwest Delhi’s Rohini, said his office called all staffers back from August 1. However, with the Delhi Metro closed for passengers, he said travelling was proving to be a tedious task.

“I work in central Delhi, and travelling has become extremely difficult. Public buses are also not running to its full capacity, and the area where I live is not very well connected by the bus service. In such times when everyone is wary of maintaining social distancing, how do you even ask a colleague to give you a lift? The opening of the Metro will be a boon, especially when most offices have started calling employees back,” Panna said.

Social media was also abuzz with people lauding the service’s phased opening plan.

“Graded opening would help assess and manage the crowd. We finally know that Delhi is nothing without the Delhi Metro,” tweeted P Sulekha.

Many, however, were sceptical of the timings of the opening, and said resuming a mass-transit mode such as the Metro could increase the already growing number of Covid-19 cases in the national capital.

Radhika Arya, who lives in south Delhi’s Vasant Vihar and works at a private company in Noida, said closed spaces, especially the underground stations, could be spaces where infections spread rapidly.

“No one is questioning the preparations of the Delhi Metro or the government, but how much can you monitor crowds inside stations? What happens if someone is asymptomatic? Inside trains, we don’t even know who has touched holding bars and who was sitting in the seat before you. Sure, the trains will get sanitised at terminals, but you would have already contracted the infection by then,” Arya said.

The Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MOHUA) on Wednesday released a detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) for the resumption of Metro services across the country. The Delhi Metro will resume operations from September 7 in phases, where operations will be opened line-wise and for restricted hours initially. From September 12, after reviewing operations, the Metro services will be completely resumed, the guidelines said.