Metro parking lots may be handed over to DDA, civic bodies

Parking lots under the Delhi Metro may soon be handed over to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the municipal corporations.

Addressing the 23rd Foundation Day of the Delhi Metro, Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal said the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has taken an in-principle decision to execute the proposal.

“We had a preliminary discussion on parking spaces available with the Delhi Metro. If they (DMRC) are not able to develop it, I would like them to hand it over to the DDA and the municipal corporations,” Mr. Baijal said.

The final decision will be taken by the Centre and the Delhi government, which hold equal equity in the DMRC.

Mr. Baijal also stressed upon the need for last-mile connectivity and parking space at and near metro stations. Out of 160 metro stations, there are 97 parking lots managed by the DMRC.

The L-G lauded DMRC managing director Mangu Singh and his team for making efforts to bring in last-mile connectivity and ensuring that the entire electricity requirement of Delhi Metro’s phase three would be met with solar power.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Singh highlighted the various initiatives taken by the Delhi Metro in the past year.

“Last year was a very satisfactory year as far as operations are concerned. We are transporting about 28 lakh passengers with the help of about 3,100 train trips, maintaining a punctuality of 99.97%,” Mr. Singh said.

‘Best Metro Station’

The Chandni Chowk Metro station was named the ‘Best Metro Station’.

The head station controller at the Rajiv Chowk station, Shrikant, was awarded the ‘Metro Person of the year award’. The Metro Woman of the Year Award was given to Kumari Tara, station controller/train operator, Yamuna Bank Crew Control.