Gurgaon-Dwarka Metro extension may take another year
The Metro extension between Dwarka and Gurgaon, which has been delayed for over three years, is not likely to take off anytime soon.
The much-awaited Metro extension between Dwarka and Gurgaon, which has been delayed for over three years, is not likely to take off anytime soon.
Unsatisfied with the route plan in the earlier three feasibility reports, the Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation (HMRTC) asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to draft a fresh one on January 20. This is likely to delay the Metro extension by another year.
Residents and commuters have long been waiting for the Metro extension from Dwarka to Gurgaon. Experts estimate that the line will see nearly 11,000 trips per hour during peak hours. About 65% of these trips will be headed to Udyog Vihar, Palam Vihar, DLF City Phase 3, Sikanderpur and Kapashera in Gurgaon, officials said.
“We have no public transport, not even a bus service. Now, even this Metro extension has been delayed,” Arvind Rai, owner of an export company in Udyog Vihar, said. Currently, a large number of employees, working in Udyog Vihar, reach their workplaces by cars and cabs.
The decision to conduct another feasibility study, however, has not gone down well with experts and residents of western parts of Gurgaon -- Palam Vihar, sectors 21, 22 and 23, and areas towards Old Gurgaon.
“This is likely to delay the project further. There is a need to explore the route which benefits residents of Gurgaon as, most often, the DMRC extrapolates data based on ridership in Delhi,” Prof Sewa Ram from the School of Planning and Architecture said.
According to an RTI filed by Gurgaon resident Aseem Takyar, the HMRTC had asked a private consultant, Urban Mass Transport Company Limited, to prepare the first feasibility report. But, the HMRTC was forced to withdraw its request as the DMRC refused to compete with other consultants for the job.
Finally, in November 2015, the Haryana government decided to award the contract to the DMRC as it was the Delhi Metro that was being extended to Haryana. The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by the additional chief secretary of the directorate of town and country planning (DTCP).
The Metro extension has been in limbo for the past three and half years. The three proposals — to extend the Airport Metro and alignment of two other routes — were junked by the Haryana government citing lack of feasibility.
