
Metro services to be restricted on Jan 26; these stations to remain closed
Services of Delhi Metro will be restricted partially on Tuesday as part of the security arrangements for the Republic Day celebrations in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). Entry and exit at the Central Secretariat station will remain closed till 12pm and it will only be used for interchange of passengers between Line 2 and Line 6, a statement by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said.
Services on HUDA City Centre-Samaypur Badli Metro line will be partially regulated on January 26, it said in the statement. Entry at Udyog Bhawan will remain closed until the parade is over, as per the statement. Entry at Patel Chowk Metro station and Lok Kalyan Marg Metro station will also remain closed from 8:45am to 12pm, it added.
All Metro parking lots will be closed from 6am on January 25 and it will remain closed till 2pm on January 26. "This step has been taken as part of the security arrangements," DMRC said in the statement.
India is all set to display its military might during the annual parade. However, the Republic Day parade this year will be very different from previous ones amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. In many firsts, the parade will be held without the presence of a chief guest this year. British prime minister Boris Johnson, who had initially accepted India's invitation to be the chief guest, cancelled his visit due to the rise in Covid-19 cases in the United Kingdom. The UK is also dealing with a new strain of Covid-19 which transmits from one person to another much faster than the previous one. There were no chief guests during the Republic Day parade in 1952, 1953 and 1966 before this.
In view of the pandemic, only 25,000 spectators will witness the Republic Day parade, the government has mandated. Last year, 150,000 spectators were allowed. The number of media persons, too, has been cut from 300 to 200. This year, the Republic Day Parade will end at the National Stadium instead of going up to the Red Fort where it usually concludes. The distance for the march has been reduced by 50 per cent.

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