Metro expansion to make travel safe for women: Delhi CM Gupta

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the expansion of the metro network will ensure safer and easier for daily travel women.

Her remarks came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated two new metro corridors and laid the foundation stone for three others in the national capital.

Addressing the gathering, Gupta said the Delhi government has focused on key civic issues with a commitment to “truth and honesty”. She noted that her government worked in “mission mode” over the past year to launch welfare initiatives for the poor and the working class.

The chief minister highlighted that 70 Atal canteens now operate across Delhi, providing meals for Rs 5 to around 70,000 people daily. She also mentioned that the government has introduced a new drainage master plan — the first in 50 years — to address waterlogging and pollution.

Gupta spoke about several digital initiatives, noting that all Delhi government departments have been digitised. She listed initiatives such as the e-file system, digital hospital records, online OPD booking, digital asset management, project management portals and the CM Jansunwai app.

In the education sector, she said Delhi schools have been equipped with 7,000 smart classes, 275 computers and 100 digital libraries. She also said the government used unclaimed funds to provide Rs 200 crore to the daughters of Delhi.

“The three new Metro corridors for which the foundation stones were laid today include R K Ashram Marg to Indraprastha, Aerocity to Indira Gandhi Airport Terminal-1, and Tughlakabad to Kalindi Kunj.

“These corridors will further accelerate Delhi’s connectivity. The commencement of trial operations on the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway is another significant development for the capital,” Gupta said.

Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar described the metro as “lifeline” of Delhi. Recalling the first metro inauguration on December 24, 2002, by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Khattar said the project was once a dream but has now become a major part of urban transport.

He noted that while only 245 km of metro network existed in five cities until 2014, the network has expanded to over than 1,100 km of metro and Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) networks under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership. Delhi alone now has more than 500 km of metro network.

The prime minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for metro projects worth about Rs 18,300 crore. The two new corridors of the Delhi Metro include the Majlis Park-Maujpur Babarpur (Pink Line) corridor of around 12.3 km and the Deepali Chowk-Majlis Park (Magenta Line) corridor of around 9.9 km.

The new connectivity will benefit several areas of Delhi, including Burari, Jagatpur-Wazirabad, Khajuri Khas, Bhajanpura, Yamuna Vihar, Madhuban Chowk, Haiderpur Badli Mor, Bhalaswa, and Majlis Park, among others.

The foundation stone for three new corridors under Phase V-A of the Delhi Metro, covering a route length of around 16.10 km.