During the recent meeting of Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), experts have suggested opening all the gates of the Delhi Metro stations to reduce congestion for commuters, officials said. At the DDMA meeting which was held under the chairmanship of Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, the suggestion of opening all station gates was made by the Director of National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Dr Sujit Kumar Singh, according to a PTI report. As per the minutes of the meeting conducted on 27 August 2021, Singh observed that only some Delhi Metro station gates were opened for passengers. Thus, he advised opening of all the gates of Delhi Metro stations at the earliest as this would lead to lesser passenger congestion. Though, the authority is yet to decide on the suggestion.
According to the report, the DMRC is facilitating entry of passengers at all its stations through as many as 276 station gates. An official of the DMRC was quoted in the report saying that the metro network is following the DDMA guidelines and some station gates are closed at Delhi Metro stations. Opening more gates would lead to more passengers inside the metro station. The DMRC official further added that the Corporation will follow the guidelines of the DDMA. The Delhi Metro rail network, at present, is operating at 100% seating capacity with no standing passengers allowed.
In view of the COVID-induced lockdown, the services of Delhi Metro were fully suspended since May 10, which was first imposed on April 19 and then successively extended by Delhi government. Initially, Delhi Metro services ran partially, catering only to commuters from essential services, but from May 10 onwards, the metro was suspended in view of rising novel coronavirus cases. After a hiatus of four weeks in view of the improved Covid situation in the city, metro services resumed on June 7, but with 50% seating capacity as well as no provision for standing travel for commuters. The Delhi Metro trains started operating with full passenger capacity on July 26, but there was no provision for standing passengers.