The resumption of the Delhi Metro services came as good news for the people of Delhi. Commuters had a smile on their faces but the travel time increased due to the strict measures being followed to ascertain social distancing. The services were resumed gradually with detailed steps to manage the crowd and ensure hygiene.
Although the commuters were happy and relieved with the restart of the services on Monday, many informed that the closure of several gates caused a lot of delays and also resulted in some inconvenience. Reaching a particular gate caused some delay, but the journey thereafter was smooth without any trouble faced.
Although the closure of the gates resulted in some inconvenience, the locals said that they were prepared for such things to happen in the view of the present situation. They also noted that these measures are necessary to ensure the safety of the commuters. Many people in the capital city prefer travelling in a Metro because it usually costs less in comparison to a cab.
While many people accepted the delay and minor inconveniences, others found it senseless. One person stated that for a 10 minutes journey, a 15 minutes delay is not justified, and hence he would prefer travelling in his personal vehicle.
RESTART OF THE DELHI METRO IN A GRADED MANNER
The DMRC services started in a graded manner, and the yellow line connecting Samaypur Badli and HUDA City Centre were the first to open. The Metro opened after months at 7 am with strict measures implemented to follow social distancing and maintain hygiene. COVID-19 is still rapidly spreading across the country; hence everyone needs to be extra careful while travelling and contacting other people.
The DMRC trains will function in two batches of four hours each. The first batch will be in the morning from 7 am to 11 am and the second batch will be evening from 4 pm to 8 pm.
Many customers also faced difficulties in the renewal of their smart cards or purchasing of the new one using online payment modes. This happened due to the network issues in the metro stations and was another reason for the delay for several passengers.
After 169 days of shutdown because of the coronavirus lockdown, the DMRC services resumed on Monday as a part of the Unlock 4.0.
The security and police force was stationed at every place to ensure that everyone wears a mask, and the crowd is managed well. The norms of social distancing were also made to be followed by people.
Majority of the commuters were delighted as their expenses had increased because of travelling in a cab.
COVID-19 SITUATION IN INDIA
India overtook Brazil in the highest number of COVID-19 cases and now stands at number 2 worldwide after The United States of America. Cases have now reached approximately 4.28 million with an average daily spike of 75k+. More than 72k people have died of the virus in India.
Amidst all this, a recovery rate of over 75% is a favorable implication for the country, which has substantially increased the gap between active cases and the total cases reported. Maharashtra continues to be one of the worst-hit states of the country with the maximum number of cases.
India had entered a complete lockdown phase in March-ending which caused several problems as many businesses were shut down. The travel restrictions also posed a problem for all the migrants, especially the labourers, who wished to return to their respective homes. The economy also suffered a massive hit with the first quarter GDP reported to be -23.9%. The negative growth trend was a result of the activities in all the major sectors like manufacturing, travel and tourism, etc.
