Pragati Maidan redux

With Auto Expo tickets now available at Metro stations it is so much more convenient to get to Pragati Maidan. While over 1 lakh people went to see the show on Saturday, 70,000 of them came via the Metro ! This is a huge number for the station at Pragati Maidan which normally handles 10,000 commuters daily.

Remember the time when going to the Book Fair or any other event at the Pragati Maidan was a nightmare. You either had to park your car (or get down from the bus) miles away and walk to the entrance. The main road was always shut down to traffic from one direction and you could see long lines of people walking towards the Gate No. 2. Till two years back, one would think twice about venturing out to such an event.

With the metro opening a station inside the complex, commuters don't have to worry about the long walk. They get off the station and bang they are in the middle of it all. That is why the added rush for Auto Expo this year. Other international events have actually begun to attract attention like they used to 10 years back. A similar thing had happened with CP once the Metro connected it up with West, East and North Delhi.

Lets just hope they remember to keep a Metro connection when they shift Pragati Maidan to its new location.