Residents overjoyed at tryst with AC public transport

Poonam Singh, 25, a consultant with a Gurgaon-based firm, would spend two hours and R70 everyday to reach her office from her Vaishali Sector 5 residence. With the Metro now at her doorstep, she will save more than half-an-hour and a lot of money.

Poonam Singh, 25, a consultant with a Gurgaon-based firm, would spend two hours and Rs 70 everyday to reach her office from her Vaishali Sector 5 residence. With the Metro now at her doorstep, she will save more than half-an-hour and a lot of money.

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"I dread travelling to Anand Vihar in a shared autorickshaw to reach the Metro station. To avoid the crowded auto, I used to hire an auto alone and pay Rs 40 to reach the border and then make the treacherous journey across the busy road to reach the Metro station," she said.

"Now I can board the Metro near my home and reach office safely and comfortably."

For thousands of people living in areas like Vaishali, Kausambhi and Indirapuram, the arrival of Metro in Ghaziabad has for the first time brought public transport in their lives.

"It is almost impossible to stay here without a car as reaching Delhi was an arduous task or a very expensive one if you had to book a cab," said Brajesh Kumar, 31, another Vaishali resident.

Many Delhiites living in east Delhi are also excited about the Metro reaching Ghaziabad. "The multiplex tickets in Vaishali and nearby areas are cheaper than here and a large number of malls have also opened up in the area, unlike here," said Subodh Gupta, a resident of IP Extension in Delhi.