With Metro, Faridabad hopes for better days

Come Sunday, swanky new coaches of Delhi Metro is set to infuse life into the urban sprawl of Faridabad, where residents have to brave potholed roads, rickety public transport and dust that hangs heavy in the air.
With the launch of the long-awaited Badarpur Extension of Violet Line (Line 6), nine stations from Sarai to Escorts Mujesar, will cover a large part of the satellite city.
Two more stations, NCB Colony and Ballabgarh, will be added by 2017, Metro officials said.
The significance of the extension is evident as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally throw it open at 4 PM on September 6, in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, at a public meeting at Sector 12, for which banners have come up across the city.

For Sector 23 resident Rohit Arora, who works with a private firm in Noida, Metro has come as a boon. He won't have to travel to Badarpur station anymore as for him the nearest station would be Bata Chowk now.
"I spend close to four hours travelling everyday. Only to reach Badarpur metro I need to take an auto and then bus. On top of that buses often break down and their frequency is very less," Arora said.

The 14-km long elevated section, that has already received clearance from the Commissioner of Railway Safety, passes over the dilapidated National Highway 2 overlooking apartment complexes, urban villages and chimneys billowing black smoke.

The distance between the two terminal stations of Line 6, ITO and Escorts Mujesar, would be covered in about one hour and 20 minutes. The other upcoming stations are Sarai, NHPC Chowk, Mewala Maharajpur, Sector 28, Badkal Mor, Old Faridabad, Neelam Chowk Arjonda and Bata Chowk.
"For daily commuters the news has come as a breath of fresh air. Spending hours on road can be terribly cumbersome. Realty prices are also expected to shoot up now," another resident of Sector 23, Varun Gambhir, said.
Fare from Escorts Mujesar to ITO has been fixed at Rs 28. It will be Rs 27 in case of Central Secretariat and Rajiv Chowk.