Prepared to resume operations whenever directed by govt, says DMRC

The Delhi Metro shall be prepared to resume operations whenever directed by the government, the DMRC said on Sunday.

The statement from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) came on a day Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said metro train services in Delhi should be resumed on a trial basis as the COVID-19 situation was improving in the city, and hoped the Centre would soon take a decision on it.

"The DMRC shall be prepared to commence operations whenever directed by the government. All necessary guidelines in place to combat the spread of COVID-19 shall be implemented, and all efforts shall be made to make travel safe for our valued commuters," DMRC Executive Director Anuj Dayal was quoted as saying in a statement.

According to sources, the Delhi Metro has suffered loss of nearly Rs 1,300 crore since the closure of services since late March due to COVID-19 situation.

The Delhi Metro has been closed since March 22 when the Janata Curfew was imposed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and subsequently the nation-wide lockdown.

While the economy has slowly opened up in phase-wise manner in the unlock period since June, the DMRC has not received a nod from the Centre to resume operations.

Meanwhile, from thermal scanners to test temperature of commuters to stickers on social distancing norms pasted on seats and platform floors, Delhi Metro has been preparing to handle commuters as per safety guidelines, whenever the services are ordered to be resumed.

On regular days, the average daily ridership of DMRC is over 26 lakh.