Tough time for commuters due to chaotic situation at Metro stations

New Delhi: Congestion, wrong-side plying of vehicles and traffic diversions outside Metro stations in Delhi and its periphery are considerably not new. Dilshad Garden Metro Station, Anand Vihar Metro Station, Shahadra Metro Station and Seelam Pur Metro Station are the worst affected station as these stations witness the issues of nonsense chaotic situation.

Moreover, encroachment and haphazardly parked vehicles outside the facility give boost to the mess, thereby, making it extremely difficult for commuters to enter and exit from the station premises.

The chaotic scenario exists at a time when the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is expanding its network across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

"We face a lot of difficulty in entering the Metro premises due to haphazardly parked autorickshaws and Gramin Sewa vehicles. The situation becomes worse during the morning and evening rush hours," said Rahul Singh, a commuter at the Dilshad Garden Metro Station.

Meanwhile, hawkers and vendors have turned service roads into dumping yards, he added.

Situation at the Jhilmil Metro Station is same. Commuters said that they have to be extra cautious while entering or coming out of the Metro station. Many a time, autorickshaw drivers push and surround passengers, making it difficult for them to exit or enter the Metro station.

There have been cases, wherein commuters get injured in the melee, said a woman who takes a train from the Seelampur Metro Station daily. She added that the agencies concerned have failed to put a check on encroachment around Metro stations and stop illegal parking of vehicles in the area.

Recently, Delhi Metro has been ranked first in "information during travel", as per an international survey of Metro systems conducted by Railway and Transport Strategic Centre (RTSC). Customer Satisfaction Survey (CSS) included various crucial aspects of Metro operations such as availability and accessibility, new facilities offered to customers, information, quality of service, customer services, outside Metro area, comfort and view on fare revision, security and safety, it added.

The official statement, however, states that the areas in which commuters expressed the need for improvement were pavements, lighting, cleanliness/orderliness and encroachment outside station premises.