By IANS,
New Delhi : Seepage in some stations and litter by passengers were affecting the cleanliness record of Delhi Metro, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said Thursday and directed authorities to “maintain its glory”.
Dikshit made a surprise check of Delhi Metro stations to see how clean they were and commuted between Central Secretariat and Delhi University.
“It was noticed that seepage is the main cause of concern. The commuters have started littering and spitting here and there. It is time to educate them and bring general awareness about cleanliness,” a Chief Minister’s Office spokesman said quoting Dikshit.
“Dikshit felt that a bit of deterioration has started in cleanliness and it is time to overcome this by application of mechanical cleaners and vacuum cleaners. She exhorted the DMRC (Delhi Metro Rail Corporation) to maintain its glory,” the spokesman added.
He said Dikshit found “big seepage at the Rajiv Chowk station because of a fountain over the ground level in the Central Park. Apart from this cobwebs were also visible”.
This are the first critical comments from the Delhi chief minister or any other authority about the functioning of Delhi Metro, which is serving the growing transport needs of commuters for over five years.
The chief minister instructed the DMRC to overcome the problem “at the earliest”.
Dikshit made the surprise visit along with Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta after receiving scores of e-mails and letters about the deteriorating situation at Metro stations.
She was, however, satisfied with maintenance inside the coaches.
Delhi Metro is the modern mass transport system of the national capital and ferries more than 700,000 passengers every day over its 68-km network. Construction is on to add another 125 km to the network before the 2010 Commonwealth Games.