Title - Metro station too close for comfort, shift it: Residents

South Extn station change will hit corridor alignment, says Metro.The proposed underground South Extension Metro station along Ring Road on the Mukundpur-Gokulpuri corridor of Metro Phase-III has landed in a controversy over its location.The residents’ welfare associations of South Extension I and II and traders in the area have raised the red flag over the Metro’s plan to build the station’s four entry/exit points close to the line of shops in the market.They said the station would add to the traffic congestion in the area and suggested that it should be relocated 500 metres away from the proposed site. The station should be built at the intersection of the road below the flyover towards Moolchand Hospital, they said.“The exits of the proposed Metro station on either side of the South Extension market-I and II are opening into the marketplace. The layout proposed by Metro will put pressure on the already overburdened infrastructure. Additional traffic will trigger congestion in the busy market and block cars on Ring Road,” Manjeet Singh Chugh, joint secretary of South Extension-I RWA, said.

The residents also demanded that Metro must provide parking space if the station was built close to the market. “We don’t want Metro commuters to park their cars in our colonies. Lack of parking space will invariably lead to this,” Ankush Wohra, president of South Extension-I RWA, said.They threatened to file a lawsuit if their suggestions were not considered. Construction of the station is likely to start in November. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which has faced similar protests over upcoming Metro Phase-III stations in Jamia Nagar and Vasant Vihar, said the South Extension market wouldn’t be “disturbed” during construction of the station.“Suggestions made by the RWAs were being discussed. But construction of the station below the flyover is not technically feasible. In accordance with the suggestions, the station will have to be extended some metres ahead of the flyover. This means alignment of the corridor will go for a toss as the distance between this station and the next (Lajpat Nagar) will be drastically reduced,” Metro spokesperson Anuj Dayal said.“A parking area of 90 cars in South Extension-I and three car parks in South Extension-II are being proposed. A designated space for autos will be maintained outside the station,” a DMRC official said.Officials said shifting the station would mean that commuters have to walk almost a kilometre to reach the market.Earlier this month, the Supreme Court-appointed Bhure Lal Committee convened a meeting with the DMRC, the South corporation, traffic police and residents to resolve the issue. “Delhi Metro has been instructed to meet the residents. Their grievances will be taken into consideration if these don’t jeopardise the alignment of the corridor,” Lal said.