The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to ensure that Delhi Metro services to the capital are not completely halted and that stations are not shut indiscriminately ahead of the October 10 CJP protest, after Delhi Police asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to close entry and exit gates at 57 stations.
The court called for “proportionate” measures, according to a report by The Indian Express. The direction comes as the proposed closures threatened to disrupt several of the network’s busiest corridors and affect travel between Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad.
The Yellow Line would have faced the largest set of proposed closures, with 17 stations listed. The line runs from Samaypur Badli in north Delhi to Millennium City Centre in Gurgaon and includes major central Delhi stations such as Patel Chowk, New Delhi and Central Secretariat. Stations including Adarsh Nagar, Jahangirpuri and Haiderpur Badli Mor were also among those identified.
Last year’s ridership figures cited in the report show that the Yellow Line handled more than 18 lakh passenger journeys out of a network-wide total of about 70 lakh a day, accounting for roughly a quarter of Delhi Metro’s passenger traffic. Restrictions on the corridor would therefore have affected both direct journeys and transfers to other lines.
The Blue Line, which connects Delhi with Noida and other parts of the National Capital Region, was also included in the proposed restrictions. Nine stations were listed, including Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, R. K. Ashram Marg, Jhandewalan, Supreme Court, Indraprastha, Karol Bagh and Rajendra Place. The corridor accounts for about 21% of network passenger traffic, based on the ridership figures cited.
Nine stations on the Red Line were identified as well. The line runs between Rithala in northwest Delhi and Shaheed Sthal in Ghaziabad, with proposed closures at stations including Inderlok, Kanhaiya Nagar, Netaji Subhash Place, Seelampur, Welcome, Shahdara, Rithala, Rohini East and Rohini West. The Red Line accounts for around 10% of Delhi Metro’s passenger journeys.
The Pink Line, which functions as an orbital corridor, was also affected. Stations listed included Sarai Kale Khan-Nizamuddin, Lajpat Nagar, Ashram, Majlis Park, Shalimar Bagh, Yamuna Vihar and Khazuri Khas. The line accounts for about 10% of network ridership, or roughly 7 lakh passenger journeys out of the reported daily total of 70 lakh.
Some stations appeared across more than one affected corridor, making the number of unique stations different from the total number of station entries in the proposed closure list. The simultaneous restrictions would also have reduced interchange options, even where train services continued on parts of the network.
The Supreme Court’s direction requires the authorities to adopt measures that are proportionate rather than impose a blanket shutdown or indiscriminate station closures. The immediate operational arrangements for the October 10 protest are expected to follow that direction.
