Delhi Metro’s most sensitive corridor between Connaught Place and international airport will be guarded by the Central Industrial Security Force, the DMRC said today, ending the suspense on whether the security would be handled by the government or a private agency.
“CISF will guard the line. CISF conducted a security audit and the modalities are being worked out by the agency and the Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Ltd,” Mangu Singh, Director (Works), DMRC told PTI.
The 23-km showcase corridor is yet to be commissioned even 15 days after receiving the nod from the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) due to uncertainty over who will guard the line that connects the city to the IGI Airport.
However, modalities are yet to be worked out by the CISF and Reliance Infrastructure-led Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Ltd, which will run the line.
A DAMEPL spokesperson said the CISF has completed the security audit and discussions are going on with the agency and things will be sorted out soon.
“We are finalising the exact requirement of number of people required from CISF,” the spokesperson said in the first indication that the central agency will guard the line.
However, CISF officials refused to comment.
Indications were available that the private security personnel recruited by DAMEPL Ltd will also have a role to play in the security of the line.
The CMRS, while giving his nod to the line on January 10, had asked the concessionarie to sort out the security issue before commissioning the line.
While the Government and Delhi Metro are keen on deploying CISF on the corridor like other metro lines in the capital, the Reliance Infrastructure-led consortium wanted its own security personnel to guard it.
Singh also said the security audit was done to assess the number of people needed to guard the line.
“But the modalities are to be worked out by the CISF and DAMEPL,” he said.
Asked whether the line will be jointly guarded by CISF and people from DAEMPL, the spokesperson said the exact scope of CISF responsibilities is also being discussed and finalised.
The spokesperson said the line is ready to begin the passenger operations. “Once the security approval is received from the government, we will open the line for the public,” the spokesperson said.
Initially, trains on the Line will run at a speed of 105 kms per hour as against the promised speed of 120 km per hour due to restrictions imposed by the CMRS. However, the speed will be increased soon after its receives the nod from Research, Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO).
The line promises to take commuters from the city to the airport in 18 minutes.
The corridor had failed the first safety test in September 2010 and missed its Commonwealth Games deadline.
During the earlier inspection, Kardam had problems with speed trials of the trains.
The link that connects the city’s shopping hub of Connaught Place with the Indira Gandhi International Airport has missed three deadlines - October 3 (Commonwealth Games), October 31 and December 31 - set by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and the Union Urban Development Ministry.
DMRC officials said the line may start with a 16-hour run initially from 6 AM to 10 PM and be gradually increased.
The consortium says it is ready to run even for 20 hours a day.
The line will open with four stations - New Delhi, Shivaji Stadium, IGI Airport and Dwarka Sec-21. Two other stations - Dhaula Kuan and Aerocity - may open a little later.
