Old Gurugram residents relieved, say will switch to safe and comfortable Metro

Residents of Old Gurugram,\on the western side of the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, have long been demanding an end to their commuting woes as they are heavily dependant on private vehicles and have to daily battle snarls to travel within the city. The Union cabinet nod for the Gurugram Metro project on Wednesday is the first sure sign they have got in the past six years of their problems coming to an end

A large number of working professionals, who depend on shared autos to reach offices, said on Wednesday that they will switch to the safety and comfort of Metro once it becomes operational.

The residents said due to lack of mass transport options, residents of densely populated Old Gurugram and adjoining areas have found it difficult to travel to adjoining Delhi and NCR.

JN Mangla, a long time resident of Roshanpura in Old Gurugram, who is also the president of Gurgaon Industrial Association, said the government has taken the right decision, and the project should be completed on time. “The residents of Old Gurugram have been struggling for the past 10 years to get a mass transit facility. There is congestion, jams and pollution as people use private vehicles and shared autos for travelling. It was also being felt that Old Gurugram was being treated in a stepmotherly fashion as all new infrastructure has come up in New Gurugram,” he said.

People living in areas such has Palam Vihar, New Palav Vihar and adjoining colonies said the Yellow Line of Delhi Metro has served mostly people living between the Golf Course Road and the national highway.

Arman Khan, a resident of Dharm Colony near Sector 23A, who is a contractor and also a keen cricketer, said he has to use his car to go to Delhi and Noida as the nearest Metro station is around 7km from his house. “It is very difficult to find parking, and negotiate traffic at the existing Metro stations on the Yellow Line. A Metro line through Palam Vihar will definitely help me reach my workplace easily and at a low cost and also the cricket grounds spread in the outskirts of the city,” he said.

Another key point raised by residents was said that during the construction phase, adequate measures should be taken to ensure that roads along the alignment do not fall into chaos. “This is a positive development but the project should be completed in three to four years. Also, during the construction stage, traffic marshals should be deployed neat the site and proper diversions effected to inflict minimum pain on commuters. This Metro will cut pollution in the city as use of private vehicles will reduce,” said Sharad Goel, resident of Old Gurugram and a prominent businessman.

Residents along Dwarka Expressway said the Metro will ensure people can travel to different parts of the city with ease. “This is a big development to connect established parts of Gurugram to Old Gurugram and Dwarka Expressway. Once completed this will be very beneficial for residents and office-goers. The government should complete this project in a timebound manner,” Prakhar Sahay, who has flat in New Gurugram.

A resident of Dwarka said his frequent visits to Gurugram will become easier once Metro comes into operation.

“It is surprising that while Metro has expanded at a fast pace in Uttar Pradesh, the project in Gurugram came so late. We have to face jams daily and hopefully metro will end that,” said Arvind Rawat, a Dwarka resident.