Metro records highest ridership of 23 lakh on a single day

Adding yet another feather to its cap, Delhi Metro has registered an all-time record ridership of nearly 23 lakh passengers on a single day.

A total of 22.89 lakh people travelled on all six operational lines of the Delhi Metro yesterday creating a record.

It surpassed the earlier record set on November 27 when 22.77 lakh people traveled by the Metro.

A Delhi Metro spokesman said out of the 22.89 lakh people who travelled on the Metro, more than half took two over-crowded Metro corridors that connect the capital with Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad.

While 8.8 lakh people travelled on the Noida/Ghaziabad Line, 8.1 lakh people took the Gurgaon line. Delhi Metro had projected that its ridership would be 20 lakh by 2011 but it has surpassed the figure.

From its initial figure of 82,000 in December 2002, Metro's ridership is increasing steadily since 2009 after the Noida, Gurgaon and other small corridors were thrown open to public.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/metro-records-highest-ridership-of-23-lakh-on-a-single-day/1073155/

A century later, Lutyens’ showpiece turns to a friend

When he set out to build New Delhi, Edwin Lutyens had in mind tree-lined avenues and gardens. So he turned to horticulturist William Robert Mustoe to push his plans. They also worked closely to create the Mughal gardens of the Viceroy's House, which later became the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

A century later, a conservation plan, faithful to the original plan of the Viceroy's House, has been unrolled. The Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has been asked by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) to use the original plan to carry out landscaping and urban design work on President Estate.

The INTACH, which has already started work, is consulting the detailed description of Mustoe's landscaping in the original plan.

"We will keep to the true spirit of the plan. Over the years, planting has been done around the estate without much planning. For instance, Ashoka trees have been planted in huge numbers. We will have to see if some of them need to be uprooted. The best landscape artists have been hired as consultants for this project,'' INTACH convenor A G K Menon said.

According to Menon, the conservation plan for Rashtrapati Bhavan will be implemented in two phases. Phase-I will include the landscape and urban designing aspect.

"This work will be over in three months. The second phase will include taking on work to restore the original building. A detailed 3D laser scanning of the building will be carried out and another consultant will be involved for this work,'' Menon said.

Work on conservation of the main building will be over in six months and a third-party review will be done thereafter. Fire safety measures will be part of the plan.

The estate houses about 10,000 people. "Many of the structures have come up in complete disregard to the character of the place. We will have to look at the original layout and decide what kind of structures fit the heritage character of the estate," Menon said.

The CPWD, which maintains the building, is also planning a ceremonial hall and the INTACH will look where this can be created.

For a museum on the estate, another consultant will be hired. "We are also looking at developing a museum, which will tell people about the history of all the presidents of India. A ceremonial hall will be developed to receive foreign dignitaries who are currently being received in the courtyard area,'' a senior CPWD official said.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/a-century-later-lutyens--showpiece-turns-to-a-friend/1072366/0

No respite for Delhi from biting cold

New Delhi: Delhiites got no respite from the biting cold with the minimum temperature plunging to 6.2 degrees Celsius even as the Sun shone bright through the day.

Both minimum and maximum temperatures were below normal levels at this time of the season with MeT office attributing this to the recent spell of rain and subsequent snowfall in northern India.

"The minimum temperature was recorded at 6.2 degrees Celsius, one notch below normal and the maximum was at 18.4 degrees Celsius, three degrees below normal temperature," a MeT Department official said.

The city may not receive any rains tomorrow but Delhiites must brace themselves for shallow mist or fog in the morning, the official added.

While the maximum temperature is expected to remain around 19 degrees Celsius, the minimum temperature may further fall to 5 degrees Celsius.

On Sunday, the maximum and minimum temperatures in Delhi were at 18.4 and 6.3 degrees Celsius respectively.