look news india
Security arrangements have been tightened in Delhi in view of the huge protest march being taken out to the Supreme Court by ‘INDIA’, an alliance of opposition parties, over the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and the voter list dispute. On the special request of Delhi Police, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has partially restricted the movement at 6 extremely important metro stations in Lutyens’ Delhi and Central Delhi to control the gathering of huge crowd and possible protesters around Parliament House, Nirvachan Sadan, India Gate and Supreme Court. This step has been taken with the aim of maintaining law and order and security of lakhs of daily commuters heading towards offices, colleges and markets during the morning rush hour. According to the official information issued by Delhi Metro, the major entry and exit gates of these stations have been kept closed till further orders, although the operation of trains on the network and interchange facilities on other lines have been kept running smoothly.
Details of the 6 sensitive metro stations where restrictions have been imposed under the directions of Delhi Police and security agencies are as follows:
-
Central SecretariatClick to open side panel for more information (Central Secretariat) Station: All exits leading to government offices, ministries and Krishi Bhawan have been sealed by security forces. The interchange between the Yellow Line and Violet Line is fully operational, due to which passengers going towards Kashmere Gate or Faridabad are not facing any hindrance in changing trains.
-
Patel Chowk Metro Station: Due to its close proximity to Jantar Mantar and Sansad Marg, all the gates of Patel Chowk station have been completely closed. Here no passenger is being allowed to exit or enter the station.
-
Udyog Bhawan Metro Station: All exits at Udyog Bhawan station have also been closed as a precautionary measure so that the protesters cannot move towards Raisina Hills or North/South Block.
-
Mandi House Metro Station: In view of the possible gathering of lawyers, students and protesters at Mandi House station, the gates opening towards the Supreme Court and Copernicus Marg have been locked, while the Blue Line and Violet Line interchanges are operational.
-
Supreme Court (Pragati Maidan) Metro Station: Located right in front of the apex court, this station is considered the most sensitive. There has been strict deployment of paramilitary forces (RAF and CISF) at all the gates leading to the main road of the Supreme Court and normal exit has been completely blocked.
DMRC has clarified that this restriction is applicable only at the entry and exit points of the stations, so that there is no uncontrolled situation on the roads outside.
-
No hassles in changing trains: At Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat and Mandi House stations, passengers who want to transfer from one metro line to another can interchange without any hassle.
-
Use alternative stations: Daily commuters coming to Central Delhi, whose offices are in or around Connaught Place, have been advised to use the nearest open stations like Barakhamba Road, Ramakrishna Ashram Marg, Janpath or Shivaji Stadium (Airport Express Line).
-
Extra time for security check: CISF has further tightened the frisking and bag scanning process at all the open metro stations, due to which long queues are forming at the entry gates. Commuters have been advised to leave home with an extra 20 to 30 minutes to reach their destination.
Along with restrictions at metro stations, Delhi Traffic Police has also issued traffic advisories on many major roads of Lutyens Zone and Central Delhi. Multiple levels of iron barricades have been installed at ITO, Vikas Marg, Tilak Marg, Bhagwan Das Road, Mathura Road and Ashoka Road. Joint contingents of Delhi Police, RAF and CRPF are searching every suspicious vehicle. The traffic police has appealed to the general public to avoid the routes towards Supreme Court, India Gate, Mandi House and Jantar Mantar and use the ring road or alternative external routes.
According to administrative officials and the Public Relations Department of DMRC, the decision to close the gates of metro stations is a temporary measure taken purely in view of law and order and safety of passengers. As soon as the status of protest march and political activities around the Supreme Court becomes clear and security clearance is received from Delhi Police, all closed gates will be reopened for the general public immediately. Passengers are advised to stay tuned to Delhi Metro’s official social media handles and station loudspeaker announcements for latest updates.