Unlocking the metro
READ BEFORE YOU PROCEED: D2G wears no responsibility of the views published here by the respective Author. This Editorial is used here for Study Purpose. Students are advised to learn the word-meaning, The Art of Writing Skills and understand the crux of this Editorial.
Meanings are given in BOLD
Nearly six months after they were suspended due to the COVID-19 induced lockdown, metro rail services are set to resume in Delhi today. The Delhi government has, reportedly, been keen to restart operations since June but the Centre has favoured a more cautious ( (of a person) careful to avoid potential problems or dangers ) approach. Now, as metro services commence in a “graded ( arrange in or allocate to grades; classify or sort ) manner”, the yellow line will be the first to be functional and the trains on other routes will resume in the next five days. “Adequate dwell ( live in or at a specified place ) time at stations will be provided to enable smooth boarding/deboarding and ensuring social distancing.
Metro rail corporations may also resort ( turn to and adopt (a course of action, especially an extreme or undesirable one) so as to resolve a difficult situation ) to skipping ( fail to attend or deal with as appropriate; miss ) of stations to ensure proper social distancing,” an SOP issued last week says. Delhi’s transport minister Kailash Gahlot has assured that his government will make sure that the metro does not add to the spread of the pandemic. The Delhi government must also ensure that its medical infrastructure is equipped to deal with any uptick in the capital’s caseload ( the number of cases with which a doctor, lawyer, or social worker is concerned at one time ).
It’s more than two months that markets, restaurants and other business establishments have resumed operations in the National Capital Region (NCR). But the unlocking of public transport has not kept pace ( a single step taken when walking or running ) with the opening up of the economy. This has not only inconvenienced workers but also contributed to low customer footfall in several sectors. Getting the metro, which transports about 25 lakh passengers daily, back on track, therefore, had become critical to reviving business after the lockdown.
At the same time, given the volume of commuters, the resumption ( the action of beginning something again after a pause or interruption ) of the metro’s services is also significant from a public health standpoint — especially because Delhi is witnessing another surge ( a sudden powerful forward or upward movement, especially by a crowd or by a natural force such as the tide ) in infections. After being down to less than 1,000 cases for most of July and August, the city has been recording in excess of 2,000 cases daily for more than a week.
Experts believe that the prolonged decline could have induced complacency ( a sudden powerful forward or upward movement, especially by a crowd or by a natural force such as the tide), leading to a drop in compliance with physical distancing norms. With the two rounds of sero surveys in Delhi indicating a large number of asymptomatic carriers of the infection in the capital, the metro authorities will have to be vigilant ( keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties ) against any letting down of the guard.
The Delhi government maintains that it is equipped to deal with any COVID-related emergency. That more than 1,000 COVID beds are vacant in the city’s hospitals, and these health facilities have adequate ventilators, offers hope that the situation will not get out of hand. Even so, the Delhi government and its residents must remain vigilant ( keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties ) when the metro is back on the rails.
