Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged the centre on August 23, 2020 to consider re-opening the Delhi Metro in a phased manner on a trial basis, as COVID-19 situation is under control in the national capital.
The Chief Minister said that Delhi should be treated differently as the cases here are stable now. "I hope the Centre will make a decision soon," Kejriwal said during a press briefing. He further expressed happiness in the fact that the COVID-19 situation in Delhi has been brought under control with the assistance of the residents of the city.
The Delhi Metro services have been closed since March 22, 2020 , ahead of the announcement of the nation-wide lockdown to control the spread of COVID-19.
Delhi Metro ready to resume as soon as centre gives nod
Following the Delhi CM's statement, the DMRC Executive Director Anuj Dayal issued a statement saying that after several months of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Delhi Metro is now ready to resume operations as soon as the central government gives nod, .
Dayal stated that the DMRC is prepared to commence operations whenever directed by the government. He assured that all necessary guidelines to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus have been implemented and all efforts shall be made to make travel safe for the commuters.
Other Details
• Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal also held consultations with traders from across the city to address steps to boost the national capital's economy. He highlighted how many people had to suffer as their businesses shut down during the COVID-induced lockdown.
• He, however, assured that people of Delhi have done great things during the period of five years. He highlighted that pollution has reduced to 25 percent in Delhi in the last five years, the city was also able to control dengue in 2019 and it has now been able to control COVID-19 together. The same way, Kejriwal said that we will also improve our economy together.
Hon'ble CM Shri @ArvindKejriwal interacted with the traders and sought their suggestions on the ease of doing business in Delhi.
— CMO Delhi (@CMODelhi) August 23, 2020
While interacting with the traders, CM Shri @ArvindKejriwal said that all the stakeholders will work together to revive Delhi's economy. pic.twitter.com/q8XYein5ks
• The Chief Minister pointed out that Delhi is the only city where lockdown was not imposed again. " We imposed lockdown in Delhi only once, and then gradually resumed work across fields from June 1 onwards, as we understand work and COVID management can go hand-in-hand," Kejriwal said.
We imposed lockdown in Delhi only once, and then gradually resumed work across fields from June 1 onwards. Probably, Delhi is the only city where lockdown hasn't been imposed again, as we understand work & COVID management can go hand-in-hand: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal pic.twitter.com/VWktQbCwxp
— ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2020
Background
The Delhi Metro Train services were suspended on March 22, on the day of 'Janata Curfew' to stop the spread of COVID-19 infection. The services have remained suspended since then as a nationwide lockdown was imposed later on. Though the centre announced Unlock-1 in June, followed by Unlock 2.0 and Unlock 3.0 in July, metro services continue to be suspended across the country.
The Metro services can only be resumed when it received approval from the central government. The national capital, which at one point had the second-highest number of cases in the country, has seen a fall in its COVID-19 cases. Currently, Delhi has around 1,61,466 confirmed coronavirus cases, among which 11778 cases are active cases and there have been 4300 fatalities, as Delhi health department.
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