Title - Noida Metro pillar under urgent repair

NEW DELHI: Less than a year after the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had to carry out emergency repairs on the airport express line, it has started urgent repair work on a pillar in Noida. The repairs, DMRC maintained, was to check for leakage from a platform at the Noida City Centre station.

However, sources at the site claimed that the aim of the work was to check the left arm of the Metro rail pillar, which may have moved from its original position.

Metro commuters said the station's platform number one has been blocked for use due to the "emergency".

"Platform number one has been closed down for checking the flooring which needs to be replaced. The pillar (number 174) is also being checked simultaneously to ensure that the leakage hasn't spread to the pillar," said the Delhi Metro spokesperson.

Asked why the work - for which DMRC has even asked Noida traffic police to put traffic diversions in place - is expected to take a week if the repair is only to check for leakage, the Metro official said this was a "routine" affair and that precautions were being taken to ensure that the leakage did not lead to bigger problems later.

According to officials at the site, the work is being undertaked to check if the left extended arm of the Metro rail pillar (towards sector 32A) had moved from its original position. Heavy-duty iron girders were put up on both sides of pillar 174 on Sunday to provide it with support. Meanwhile, DMRC barricades have also come up to enclose the affected area.

The Noida traffic police have been requested to divert traffic from the busy intersection as nearly 75% of both carriageways have been blocked for maintenance work by DMRC. Metro commuters said that platform number one on the station has been blocked for use due to the "emergency" and that only one platform is being used. The speed of the trains has also been reduced. Predictably, this has affected the frequency of the trains, say commuters.

Noida traffic police said they have received a written communication requesting for an immediate plan to decongest the area. "Initially we were told emergency repairs are needed at the spot, but we have now also received a written request for traffic diversion," said Dharmender Yadav, traffic inspector. "Nearly, 500 metres of both carriageways near the City Centre Metro station has been blocked for the repairs," Yadav said. "This is one of the busiest roads in the city witnessing high volume of traffic.

About 20,000 to 25,000 vehicles use the route every evening and nearly 1.5 lakh vehicles, including heavy vehicles, use the stretch daily." Traffic cops have taken several measures to ensure smooth traffic flow. "We have opened a single-lane service road parallel to the affected road coming from the Golf Course side for traffic moving towards Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, NH-24, Delhi and some sectors of Noida. The road was being used as parking by autos," Yadav said.

"Traffic cops will divert traffic. Commuters should avoid the stretch while the repair work is on," Yadav said. He said the problem has been compounded by the traffic diversion plan put in place a week ago as construction of an underpass near City Center has begun. Yadav outlined alternative routes which can be used by motorists.Commuters going towards Greater Noida can use the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway or DSC road via Bhangel road. Those going towards sectors 50 and 51 in Noida can go right from Shashi Chowk via sectors 39, 40 and 41, while those going towards NTPC and sectors 33, 34 and 35 can move right from the Shashi Chowk and travel via Nithari.