Suvash C Choudhary / The Public World
Gurugram : To make the commute of ordinary citizens from Delhi’s metro station to their homes smooth and pollution-free, the Union Urban Development Ministry will launch a Transit Oriented Development Policy (TOD policy) within the next month. Under this policy, the government will ensure first-mile and last-mile connectivity. With the implementation of this policy, housing will be provided within 500 meters of a metro station, allowing people to walk to the station.
Union Urban Development and Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced this while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Urban Mobility India 2025 Conference held in Gurugram, Haryana. He stated that while the expansion of the metro rail system in Delhi has made commuting easier, the widespread use of road transport to reach the metro station remains a necessity. He emphasized that under the new TOD policy, residents will be provided with housing within 500 meters of a metro station. He stated that the parking lots at all Delhi Metro rail stations are full. There’s no space for cars or two-wheelers.
The Union Minister stated that a large number of people are forced to use private vehicles to reach Metro stations from their homes, which poses a major problem for traffic and pollution. Therefore, his ministry has prepared a Transit Oriented Development Policy for Delhi, which will be launched within a month. He revealed that under this policy, multi-story residential buildings will be directly connected to Metro stations from the second floor via hanging bridges, while basement Metro stations will be connected via underpasses and provided with direct elevators. This will allow residents of multi-story buildings to reach Metro stations directly on foot, eliminating the need for private or other public transport.
He also stated that under the Transit Oriented Development Policy, four agencies will be engaged to provide various types of commercial vehicle facilities to those who wish to reach Metro stations by vehicle. To use these vehicles, Delhi residents will be provided with swipe cards, allowing them to conveniently pay their fares. He stated that implementing this policy will help control pollution in Delhi.
