Delhi Metro to run bus service to Central Vista for a week

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC) on Thursday announced that it will provide electric bus service to visitors who wish to visit the revamped Central Vista. The service will begin on Friday and it will continue for a week. 

The Delhi Metro on Friday issued a statement saying it will provide bus service for those visiting India Gate or Central Vista from September 9 after the inauguration. The service will be available for visitors from Bhairon Road, Rajghat, Connaught Place and JLN Stadium, said a DMRC official. 

The electric buses deployed by Delhi Metro will pick up the visitors from Bhairon Road and will drop them off at Gate No.1 of the National Stadium facing C-Hexagon from where the India Gate or Central Vista can be accessed by walk, the DMRC said.  Twelve buses will be operated on the route. These buses will be available for visitors from 5 pm and the last pick-up will be at 9 pm, the statement said.

The newly-named Kartavya Path, which runs from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate and has red granite walkways with vegetation all around, renovated canals, state-specific food stalls, new utility blocks, and vending kiosks, was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. The entire stretch from Vijay Chowk to India Gate has undergone reconstruction by Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Limited. A bid for the project was made for Rs 477 crore. 

The Central Public Works Department, the project’s executing agency, has established five vending zones with a maximum of 40 vendors each, as well as two blocks close to the India Gate with a maximum of eight stores each. Several states have expressed interest in setting up their own food stands. Meanwhile, Delhi Police had asked commuters to plan their journey in advance and take alternate routes to avoid road closures and congestion. 

No Congress leaders seen at inauguration of ‘Kartavya Path’ 

No prominent leaders from Congress and other opposition parties were seen at the inauguration of ‘Kartavya Path’ by PM Modi on Thursday evening here. It was not immediately known whether the senior Congress leaders were invited for the mega ceremony organised on the ‘Kartavya Path’, earlier known as Rajpath stretching from Rashtrapati Bhawan to India Gate. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda were among the dignitaries, including film personalities, foreign diplomats and top bureaucrats, who attended the mega event.