Delhi Metro Rail (September 2002)

A news report today says, “Trains will be just one of the services at Metro stations. Medicine shops, ATMs, snack bars, gift and music shops, magazine stalls and communication centres will have doors open almost round the clock”. It goes on to describe plans for beverage marts, pizzerias, chain stores, cyber cafes, huge advertisements, etc. The Chief Urban Planner of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is quoted saying, “The idea to is improve the way of life around a Metro station’s neighbourhood”. Stations in ‘down-market’ areas, however, will not have Dominoes or McDonalds, but just “local food shops”. An official is quoted saying, somewhat disappointedly, ‘‘We did try to get the brand names to these stations as well, but then they refused. The passengers in these area are not exactly the burger and pizza eating crowds.”

• 2002.08.31: Gunjan Veda, ‘Drink, eat and shop at Metro stations’, Express Newsline

A month ago, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation chief had said that the journey on the Metro will be “speedy, efficient and very plush”, with fully-automated and air-conditioned stations, park and ride facilities, coffee shops, restaurants and drug stores outside, automatic fare collection machines and contactless smart cards to regulate entry inside, close-circuit televisions, earthquake resistant and disabled friendly design features, etc. (2002.07.28: ‘A plush journey every two minutes’, Times of India). And there was a report on how “a group of young artists have morphed the walls of Seelampur Metro Station into a gallery, complete with mosaics, murals and sculptures. The students of the College of Art bagged the project, thanks to the compliments they received from the Prime Minister” whose personal conference room they had decorated (2002.07.09: Princy Jain, ‘Young artists take Metro by storm’, Daily Pioneer). For the same station, it was also reported that the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had “started a unique community counseling service in the city's most backward area… comprising mostly of the ghettoes inhabited by the illiterates and semi-literates”. The Chief Public Relations Officer of the Corporation spoke of “interactive sessions with the masses” to ensure that the city is ‘prepared both technically and psychologically to use the advanced technology’. (2002.07.25: Nusrat F. Jafri, ‘DMRC to 'train' people about Metro Rail’, Daily Pioneer).
 
With the scheduled date of commissioning of Delhi Metro approaching, the Congress government in Delhi and the rival BJP led coalition government at the centre were also vying for ‘credit’ for all this.

• 2002.08.16: Sreelatha Menon, ‘Dikshit claims credit for Metro Rail, draws flak from BJP leaders’ Express Newsline

Around the same time, it was reported that Delhi Urban Art Commission had “finally realised how inaccessible Old Delhi railway station is” and taken up a study to improve the area (2002.07.25: Saurabh Sinha, ‘Plans afoot to decongest Old Delhi Rly Station’, Times of India).
 
For over a year ‘requests’ made to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Delhi Urban Art Commission, Union and Delhi governments for ensuring implementation of statutory Master Plan provisions for space for hawkers, including at stations, however, have remained unheeded. (Enaction Report: Hawkers in Delhi).
 
The coincident reportage of Union government’s proposal to seek cabinet approval for commercialising industrial areas of Delhi (complete with ritual-like opposition from Delhi government) and the grandiose plans for Delhi Metro stations share a common ‘vision’ in which the citizens of Delhi seem rather incidental and the commercial potential of the city’s land very central.
 
In September 2002 Delhi Metro started a statehood debate A spectacular slugfest followed as city and central governments began to fight over credit and control and inaugural honours on 24 December. There were tense moments as safety aspects came under a cloud days before the inaugural ride, and the absence of toilets at stations made news immediately afterwards. Through all this, the Metro Corporation and the politicians have kept their chins firmly up. The Metro Bill has sailed through both houses of Parliament in the Winter session. The Metro has been found worthy of duties’ waiver, cheap power tariff, more international assistance, revenue through property development and, maybe, even a metro tax. Delhi’s politicians have made it clear that The Metro is going to feature prominently in the battle for Delhi in this year’s Assembly election campaigns. The Lieutenant Governor has suggested more built up space along the metro line and Delhi Development Authority has announced that The Metro is going to guide the ongoing Master Plan revision to guide the city’s planned development for the next 20 years. Other states also want metros and The Metro has offered be nodal agency for all of them. The Vice President has said The Metro should set standards for good politics in the country.
 
The Japanese have said The Metro is a symbol of Indo-Japanese friendship and offered more yens And Delhi loves The Metro as much as it loves its Appu Ghar amusement park. There might be a few that feel hardly transported by all the euphoria that has made a public utility a public circus and worry about utilitarian matters, but in all the euphoria they hardly count.