The public transit system in Gurugram has failed to keep pace with its ever-growing resident as well as floating population, as plans to expand the metro network and city bus services have been stuck in limbo for several years.
Started in 2013, the 11-station-long Rapid Metro network has three major projects in the pipeline — a 28.5-km circular corridor from Millennium City Centre to Cyber City passing through Subhash Chowk and Old Railway Station, an 8.4-km corridor from Rezang La Chowk to Delhi’s Dwarka Sector 21 metro station, and a 30-km route from Vatika Chowk to Panchagon on NH-44.
The Gurugram Metropolitan City Bus Limited (GMCBL) — an entity with 50% stake owned by the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) — started off with 25 non-AC low floor buses on a single route in 2018 and envisioned a fleet of 1,000 buses.
However, due to slow work on these two fronts, residents are dependent on autorickshaws as well as app-based cabs and bike taxis for inter-city travel.
Metro expansion
On December 8, Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal — who is also the chairman of the Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation (HMRTC), the nodal agency of Rapid Metro — said that a new entity, Gurugram Metro Rail Limited, would be formed. The entity would be a joint venture of the Centre and Haryana government and implement the three expansion projects, he had said, adding that wheels had been set in motion for the Millennium City Centre to Cyber City network.
“The 27-station network has an estimated cost of ₹5,452.72 crore. Processes for pre-construction activities, including geotechnical investigations and design consultations, have already been initiated,” Mr. Kaushal had said. However, a concrete timeline is yet to be drawn up.
For the Vatika Chowk-Panchgaon route, a detailed project report is being prepared, while an inception report was submitted on September 1. Officials have been directed to complete this by April 30, 2024, said the HMRTC chairman.
Meanwhile, GMDA spokesperson Neha Sharma told The Hindu that the GMCBL at present has a fleet of 200 buses with a daily ridership of 80,000 passengers and 50 of the vehicles are operated by the Faridabad administration.
“Over 3,000 electric buses are to be procured under the PM e-Bus Sewa scheme and Gurugram will get 100 of these,” she said.
Residents await
Deepak Ahlawat, a Palam Vihar resident, said that people can get from one place to another using a combination of buses and metro service in Delhi, but it is not possible in Gurugram. “For years, there have been reports suggesting that a metro route connecting Palam Vihar and Old City to the existing DMRC network is in the pipeline. But there is nothing on the ground. People are forced to use cars in the absence of reliable and reasonable public transport means which leads to traffic jams and adds to pollution,” said Mr. Ahlawat, a bank employee.
Sarika Panda Bhatt, co-founder of non-governmental organisation Raahgiri Foundation, said the estimated population of Gurugram city is around 1.2 million, indicating a need for approximately 720 buses. This, she said, was much higher than the current number of buses plying.
“In contrast, cities like Bhubaneswar have consistently expanded their bus services from 100 to 370 in three years, with a 2.5-lakh average daily ridership. The metro rail network in Gurugram also has remained stagnant for almost a decade, while neighbouring cities such as Ghaziabad and Noida have rapidly expanded their rail networks up to 25-30 km. It is imperative for Gurugram to prioritise the expansion of its public transport network to meet the growing demand of its population,” said Ms. Bhatt.
