HINDUSTAN TIMES, NEW DELHI 24 | SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2014 IN GURGAON

■ The development of the Metro has helped connect the National Capital region to Delhi, providing relief to the nine lakh people using this form of transport daily. HT PHOTO voxpop Providing a lifeline to Gurgaon SMOOTH RIDE The extension of the Metro’s yellow line has made travel safer and has helped the Millennium City develop Dhananjay Jha to convince my family. They allowed me man. This effect was not just visible in between Dwarka Sector 21 in Delhi and ■ [email protected] because the metro is safe. Gurgaon is FOR WOMEN IN PARTICULAR, new Gurgaon, but in the entire city. Now, Iffco Chowk in Gurgaon such as Bijwasan, about 50 km from here and a bus takes THE METRO IS A BOON. THEY the hope of a new extension of the Metro Palam Vihar, Maruti, and NH-8. GURGAON: When the Qutub Minar - two hours or more but in a metro, it from Sector 21, Dwarka to Iffco Chowk The purpose of the extension from HUDA City Centre 14.47-km corridor takes one and a half hours at maxi- CAN TRAVEL SAFELY IN is set to increase prices even further. Dwarka Sector 21 is to bring relief to was opened by the Rail mum.” said a woman who did not wish THE NCR AND IT HAS This is a big achievement for the city people living in large numbers in old I THINK METRO HAS Corporation (DMRC) in 2010, the city to reveal her name. and we all have benefitted.” said Mahesh or west Gurgaon who currently travel got a life line and emerged as the most “I was really glad to know that the PROVIDED THEM WITH JOB Mahela, a local resident. to new Gurgaon to take the Metro to TRANSFORMED THE CITY IN suitable work place in Delhi-NCR. DMRC was extending the Jahangirpuri OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL In a fresh boost, the DMRC and the Delhi-NCR on the yellow line. MANY WAYS. NOW, WORKERS If MNC employees, local commut- line to Gurgaon where I had a house. It government are giving the While the Dwarka extension will › ers, and residents are to be believed, the was a relief as I was planning to shift fetches around three lakh commuters final touches to the Metro extension bring Gurgaon close to West Delhi and FROM ACROSS THE NATIONAL metro has reduced distance between the to Gurgaon from Chanakyapuri, Delhi, per day, a Metro spokesperson said. from Dwarka Sector 21 to Iffco Chowk. Bahadurgarh in Haryana, the proposed satellite cities of Ghazaiabad, Noida, and I was worried about commuting in Due to the growing ridership, the The 11.5 km metro line connecting extension of the yellow line from Huda CAPITAL REGION ARE WILLING TO Fardiabad, and Gurgaon bringing relief the bus. I still use the metro when I go Metro has increased the number of the two metro stations of Delhi and City Centre to Manesar is also expected COME TO GURGAON TO WORK, to the people. to Delhi because I feel safe.” said Indira trains, the frequency, and it started Gurgaon via old city (in Gurgaon) to bring relief to thousands of people For women in particular, the metro Mishra, a social activist who lives at eight coach trains as well. is expected to bring relief to nearly working in factories and industries. ALL THANKS TO THE METRO, OF is a boon. They can travel safely in the Sushant Lok-I. “Metro has changed Gurgaon not three lakh commuters of Delhi-NCR. “Our aim is to promote the Metro NCR and it has provided them with job In the past four years, the Metro only in terms of employment but also “We are working on the Detailed Project to expedite development in Gurgaon COURSE. opportunities as well. witnessed rapid growth in ridership land prices. As soon as the Metro was Report (DPR) and we hope to submit the and other parts of Haryana and we ASEEM TAKYAR, resident “I come from Shahadara, East Delhi, and it is estimated that eight to nine planned, the prices began to rise and DPR to the Haryana government by June are working in this direction,” said TC to work in a private company in Sohna lakh people use the metro, daily. The after it became operational, Gurgaon end.” said a DMRC official, adding that Gupta, financial commissioner, Haryana Road. Thanks to the metro, I was able Gurgaon-Jahangirpuri Yellow line alone became unaffordable for the common this extension will have four stations government. Rapid Metro changes face of Millennium City Siddhartha Rai ■ [email protected]

GURGAON: As Gurgaon started develop- ing infrastructure in the early 1980’s, urbanisation has increasingly been proving inadequate and lopsided due THE METRO COMES AS A to the absence of public transport. But the development of the Rapid Metro has BOON TO THE ELDERLY, come as a breather. STUDENTS TRAVELLING FROM While the Delhi Metro Rail › Corporation (DMRC) connects the GURGAON TO DELHI TO STUDY capital to some parts of Gurgaon, the Rapid Metro has emerged as a credible AND FOR WOMEN. TRAVEL IS alternative for intra-city travel. NOW SAFER FOR THEM AND “The model is not sustainable if the city is developed first and transport THEY CAN NOW RECLAIM THEIR is planned, later. In an ideal situa- tion, transport planning comes before RIGHTFUL PLACE IN THE PUBLIC. development of other infrastructure.” DC YADAV, resident said Rohit Baluja, president of the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) and Director, College of Traffic Management, Faridabad. As of now, the Rapid Metro is restricted to DLF Cybercity. It is being expanded to connect other parts of the city. It already records a footfall of 30,000 commuters per day. But since it is yet to connect other areas, it has not achieved its target footfall of 60,000. The DLF group has planned to help ■ The Rapid Metro is already recording a footfall of 30,000 every day. Officials say that once it’s extended, it will record a footfall of 60,000 daily. HT PHOTO develop skywalks connecting the offices in Cybercity with the Rapid Metro Stations, growth in the last few years. There has does not have any mode of public trans- necessarily be motor-centric. Gurgaon has proved to be a favourable thus helping increase the footfall. been a change in the landscape of the port for last-mile connectivity, the Rapid The DMRC too has expanded opera- destination for the development of such “I see Rapid Metro as a game-changer city with the advent of the Rapid Metro. Metro has emerged as the future of pub- tions to connect the satellite towns of systems owing to the fact that millions and a catalyst in this direction. Rapid The core idea behind Rapid Metro is to lic transport. the National Capital Region, Gurgaon, of executives and professionals work in Metro has been working closely with build a full-fledged intra-city transport Sakshi Singh, an MNC executive who Noida to Delhi, which can help double the offices of nearly 250 Fortune-500 com- FOR A COMMON MAN Nasscom and corporates in and around system, while providing connectivity to commutes from Dilshad Garden in New the footfall in the metro system. panies, apart from thousands of smaller Cybercity to involve themselves in ini- Delhi. The idea was also to encourage Delhi to her office in Gurgaon, said “The Gurgaon, with its network of just entities, especially the industrial units TRAVELLING IS NOW SAFE tiatives that sensitize people towards the use of more environment-friendly DMRC network is such that it connects five stations, contributes 1.26 lakh in Udyog Vihar. AND SECURE. THE FACT THAT IT IS the use of mass transit systems,” said means of transport for a sustain- my work place and house, but there is daily commuters to the mass trans- The Rapid Metro on its part has › Sanjiv Rai, CEO and MD, IL&FS Rail able future. With the launch of South an absence of credible last-mile con- port system. claimed to have taken around 2,200 pri- SO AFFORDABLE IS NOT A SMALL Ltd. and Rapid Metro Gurgaon. Extension by 2016, we will have a net- nectivity. Systems like the Rapid Metro “The Rapid Metro, in association vate vehicles and cabs off the roads of work span of almost 12 km, passing can solve this and thus, our dependence with the DMRC network, has been Gurgaon. THING. WE ALL FEEL A LOT SAFER WHAT MAKES IT VIABLE? through thickly populated commercial on autos will be reduced.” running a very stable system in a very “People need to start accepting pub- AND BETTER NOW THAT WE ARE The city’s bus service has only 206 and residential area,” said Rai. short span of time. Both the systems lic transport as an alternative to using buses, a barely adequate number. While Sanjeev Kumar Lohia, former CONNECTING SATELLITE have been feeding each other well and their private vehicles. I want the CEOs SO WELL-CONNECTED TO THE Autorickshaws continue to run with- officer on special duty (urban transport) TOWNS as we expand in tandem with the expan- and top executives of MNCs in Gurgaon out meters and shared autos often and ex-officio joint secretary, ministry There has been a clear shift in atti- sion of the DMRC network in the city, to lead from the front and encourage the CAPITAL CITY. speed and overload their vehicles. of urban development, believes that in tudes as far as officials are concerned the Rapid Metro is surely poised for use of public transport, especially the BS KABIR, resident “Gurgaon has witnessed tremendous terms of quality of service, Gurgaon that a city’s development need not success.” said Rai. metro rail system,” said Rai.