DURGABAI DESHMUKH SOUTH CAMPUS – LAJPAT NAGAR METRO CORRIDOR FLAGGED OFF FOR PASSENGER OPERATIONS

The 8.10 kilometre long Durgabai Deshmukh South Campus – Lajpat Nagar Metro corridor was formally flagged off today for passenger operations by Sh. Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Housing and Urban Affairs and Sh. Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister, National Capital Territory of Delhi in the presence of the Sh. Anant Kumar, the Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs. Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Sh. Puri said, “Metro serves a very useful purpose because it takes the pressure off private means of transport and brings more people to an efficient, green mode of public transport,” he said. Delhi’s Chief Minister, Sh. Arvind Kejriwal applauded the Delhi Metro for the opening of the section and said, “It is a day of happiness for the people of Delhi as a section of the Pink Line from Durgabai Deshmukh South Campus to Lajpat Nagar is being started. This section will connect the city’s prominent markets by Metro. The problem of parking in these markets will also be solved. ” Sh. Anant Kumar, the Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs appreciated that the Motibagh Metro station had been named after Sir Vishveshwaraiah, one of India’s greatest engineers and educationists. He said that the naming of the station after Sir Vishveshwaraiah was a great gift for the people of Karnataka. The Ambassador of Japan to India, His Excellency Sh. Kenji Hiramatsu said that the Delhi Metro was comfortable, time saving and was a “catalyst for the development of environment friendly mass transit travel systems in India”. DMRC’s Managing Director, Dr. Mangu Singh said that the Durgabai Deshmukh South Campus – Lajpat Nagar Metro corridor was a small but important extension of the Delhi Metro network as it connects important markets of the city. He also said that DMRC’s engineers had constructed the section in the best possible manner with high quality artwork, landscaping etc.  All the six stations of the newly inaugurated section were also awarded with the ‘Platinum’ rating by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) for adherence to green building norms. With the opening of this section, the Delhi Metro network has now become 296 kilometres long with 214 Metro stations.