DMRC to mull shifting Jamia Nagar station
After the vice chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia Najeeb Jung and union law minister Salman Khurshid raised objections, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has decided to conduct a study to explore the feasibility of shifting the proposed Jamia Nagar Metro station some metres away. Najib Jung met DMRC officials on Wednesday, suggesting that the planned station should be shifted 100 metres from its proposed location so that it is on the edge of the university campus - and closer to Jamia Nagar - rather than in the middle of it, a varsity spokesperson said. The Jamia Nagar Metro station, which has been planned to be built inside the gardens of the university, is part of the 33.50-km-long corridor from Janakpuri West to Kalindi Kunj under the highly anticipated Metro phase three.
“The decision was taken during a recent meeting between the Delhi chief secretary and DMRC chief. We will wait for the reports and see if it is possible to move the location. The study will be conducted by DMRC officials and we are engaging with the Jamia VC too,” said a DMRC official. The official said the study has already started and will complete in next 10 days, and will be submitted to the Delhi Metro’s top management. Khurshid had recently written to union human resource minister Kapil Sibal, asking him to intervene in the matter as the Metro will adversely affect the University. Jamia VC Najib Jung has been opposing a station inside the campus, saying that it would lead to security concerns and may disrupt campus life as well. Jung was the first one to oppose the station when, in 2011, he wrote to then DMRC chief E Sreedharan, raising concerns. On July 21, Jung wrote a letter to union urban development minister Kamal Nath, saying the university will be divided into two halves because of the Metro station’s position.
In another letter to chief minister Sheila Dikshit in January this year, Jung had pointed out that outsiders and nearby residents travelling in the Metro would create nuisance inside the campus. It has been estimated that the proposed station will benefit 20,000 people once operations begin.
