The Delhi government has imposed restrictions in the wake of the Omicron variant of coronavirus which has been driving Covid-19 infection in the national capital. As part of the curbs, the seating capacity in Delhi Metro has been reduced to 50 per cent and no standing passenger is allowed.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced on Thursday that to ease overcrowding on December 31, exit from Rajiv Chowk Metro station will not be allowed after 9pm. This comes days after the Delhi government implemented strict curbs in the national capital in the wake of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
“To ease overcrowding on New Year’s Eve (31st December 2021), exit from Rajiv Chowk metro station will not be allowed from 9 PM onwards. However, entry of passengers will be allowed till the departure of the last train,” the DMRC announced on Twitter.
Every year, revellers gather at Connaught Place, the heart of New Delhi, adjacent to the metro station, to ring in the New Year. But this year, the Delhi government has put in place a night curfew, which starts at 10pm, to curb such gatherings.
Meanwhile, long queues of commuters were seen outside many stations of Delhi Metro for the second consecutive day on Thursday after imposition of fresh curbs by authorities to check the spread of Covid-19 in the city.
On Wednesday, serpentine queues of commuters were seen outside stations at Laxmi Nagar, Akshardham, among others. Many also had taken to Facebook and Twitter to share pictures of such queues outside stations.
The curbs have been clamped as part of the graded response action plan (GRAP), due to which Delhi has been put under ‘Yellow alert’, which also entails running of metro trains with only 50 per cent seating capacity and no provision for standing for commuters.
The DMRC said in a statement on Wednesday that as part of the intensified measures for containing Covid-19 spread, “15 flying squads were deployed across the Delhi Metro network” to ensure that the Covid safety protocols are strictly adhered to by the passengers inside trains as well as station premises.
The frequency of checking drives is also being increased to ensure strict adherence to the guidelines, and offenders are also being penalised on the spot, the DMRC further said.
The DMRC network’s current span is nearly 392 km with 286 stations (including the Noida-Greater Noida Metro Corridor and Rapid Metro, Gurgaon).
Delhi on Wednesday recorded 923 fresh Covid cases, the highest daily rise since May 30, as the positivity rate again breached the 1 per cent-mark (1.29 per cent).
