One might need proper identity proof to exit the Shankar Vihar metro station of the newly-inaugurated Kalkaji Mandir-Janakpuri West corridor as it falls under "defence area", officials said.
The Shankar Vihar station is one of the 16 stations on the 24.82-km-long corridor. There are 14 underground and two elevated stations on the metro line.
The station on the Kalkaji Mandir-Janakpuri West corridor is "located right in the defence zone and thus will cater primarily to defence personnel", a senior DMRC official said.
"The land for the Shankar Vihar metro station on the Magenta Line was provided by the Ministry of Defence. As the station falls within a defence/cantonment area all passengers desirous to get down at Shankar Vihar, must possess requisite permission or identification documents necessary for entering defence/cantonment areas," the official told PTI.
The official also said that since Shankar Vihar station is "located right in the heart of the defence zone, it thus will cater primarily to defence personnel".
Besides the Shankar Vihar station, Sadar Bazar Cantonment is another station falling in the defence area, officials said.
"Sadar Bazar Cantonment is the other station, but that is on the road side and can be accessed by everyone," the DMRC official said.
The corridor of the Magenta Line, part of Phase-III of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, was yesterday inaugurated by Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs (Independent Charge) Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at Nehru Enclave metro station.
"Services began from 6 am (today) from Kalkaji Mandir and Janakpuri West stations simultaneously. After the opening of this section, the operational span of the network built under Phase-III has expanded to 87 km," the official said.