Encroachment by vehicles, hawkers in front of Metro entry/exit gates giving commuters a harrowing time

Karkardooma, Laxmi Nagar, Preet Vihar and several other Metro stations have no pavements for the commuters to walk. A passenger on his way to the Metro stations is forced to walk on the streets. Rampant encroachment has resulted in chaos outside the stations.

“I face a lot of <g data-gr-id="29">difficulty</g> to get entry to the Metro premise as one can see that the entry point is being occupied by auto-rickshaws and Gramin Sewa vehicles. <g data-gr-id="27">Situation</g> becomes worse during the peak hours when there is no place to even put your foot down,” said Rajat Kumar, a daily commuter from Laxmi Nagar Metro station. Hawkers and vendors have turned service roads into dumping yards, he added.

The Preet Vihar Metro station has a similar picture. In the peak hours, a <g data-gr-id="25">commuter</g> needs to be very careful as he/she can run into an auto or rickshaw parked in front of the gates. However, the agencies which include the civic bodies and the traffic police seem to have failed in stopping these practices.

Recently, the Delhi Metro has been ranked first in “information during travel”, as per an international survey of Metro systems conducted by the Railway and Transport Strategic Centre (RTSC). 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.

Meanwhile, DMRC said it will take up these issues with the civic authorities and work towards necessary improvements.