Leaky roofs at Metro stations

Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat, Govindpuri among the areas affected

Leaky roofs at Metro stations

Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat, Govindpuri among the areas affected

The monsoons are here. But, once inside a Metro station, one cannot comprehend how heavily is it raining outside. Or is it? Commuters complain that in spite of the little rainfall that the city has received over the past few days, water is dripping from the roofs at various Metro stations.u00a0

Central Secretriat. Pics/Mid Day

Delhi Metro, which recorded its highest ridership of over 17 lakh on July 4, is considered the lifeline of the city's transport system. With over 16.5 lakh taking the trains on the weekdays, the rains have created havoc in some of the busiest stations.

Wet, wet, wet: The conditions at the Govindpuri Metro statio

Damp squib
"I didn't notice water dripping from a wall at Central Secretariat Metro station and slipped on it. I felt embarrassed as many people were around and saw me slip," said Ruby Gera, a student of Delhi University.
Be it any route of Delhi Metro, commuters on all the lines complain that the leakage is not just because of rain but also because many pipes of air-conditioners are dripping.

"We are facing this problem since two-three months and are trying to solve the problem at the earliest," said a housekeeping staff at Rajiv Chowk Metro station.

Drop by drop
Some of the stations which are facing the problem of water seepage are Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat, Lajpat Nagar, Govindpuri and Nehru Place. At some of these stations buckets have been placed under the seeping points to collect the water, while in others water is just sprawled on the floor.

Ram Krishan, a visitor from Rohtak in Haryana, said: "People claim that Delhi Metro is a world class service but when we see water flowing on the floor and buckets placed at stations to collect water dripping from the roof, I can only disagree to the perception."

The Other Side
DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal said: "Leaking ceilings is a normal phenomenon in Metro set-ups world over. In particular, the underground Metro stations will have leakage. This is because when we go underground, we interfere with nature. We have motors installed to handle the system. These are temporary features. During monsoons, the entire system gets affected and has to be taken care from time to time."