| Metro line ready at Anand Vihar |
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 While the Anand Vihar Railway station has begun operations and the Metro station is all set for inauguration on Wednesday, the proposed foot overbridge (FOB), which was to connect the Metro station to the adjacent railway terminal, is still stuck in paperwork. The FOB, expected to provide easy connectivity between the three terminals in Anand Vihar, was earlier planned to directly connect the Metro station to the Anand Vihar Inter-State Bus Terminal. Due to land constraints, however, it was shifted to the railway station.The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has now sought permission to locate some columns of the structure on railways land. According to the railways, the DMRC has requested for a waiver of the lease charge, which is under consideration. “The request made by DMRC is a departure from the norm of land transfer, therefore it took us some time to approve it. The proposal is being considered and should be given a nod in another 10 days, following which work can begin,” a railways spokesperson said.
The two bodies have had land transfer agreements for New Delhi and Old Delhi railway stations earlier. While there was land exchange in equal proportion neutralising the payment of lease charge in the case of the New Delhi station, the DMRC, according to the railways, still has pending lease payment dues for the land transfer at the Old Delhi railway station. Sources in the railways maintained the decision for Anand Vihar took longer because of this outstanding payment. DMRC officials, however, said there is no need for land transfer at Anand Vihar.
The permission requested is to locate the FOB columns in the railway station’s parking lot area, which is owned by the railways. “There was a misconception among railways officials that we are seeking land transfer. We will merely locate a few columns on the central verge of the road near the railway station parking lot — no transfer of land is required for this. Neither have we asked for land for commercial purposes, in which case payment had to be made,” Kumar Keshav, Director (Projects), DMRC, said. “Once permission is granted we are all set to start work on the FOB. The design and contractor for the project has already been finalised.”
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