In view of the festive season, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has decided to launch a special drive to ensure smooth operation of its trains.

Director (Operations) Sharat Sharma has directed all the officials of Operations and Maintenance wing to intensify their travel by the metro while moving to and fro duty, a DMRC’s press statement said.

The move comes close on the heels of the metro fare hike, which is being opposed by the Delhi government and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party.

According to the DMRC, the special drive is aimed at ensuring that any minor issue or incidence which may affect pleasant travel experience for the millions of passengers in this festive season is directly monitored and attended to by the officials in the least possible time.

It said the drive also is intended towards ensuring the “highest level” of cleanliness on its premises.

The services of the Delhi Metro, which started operations in 2002, is today

availed by nearly 30 lakh passengers daily, according to the DMRC.

Presently, its network consists of about 218.17 km with 164 stations along with six more stations of the Airport Express Link.

The network has now crossed the boundaries of Delhi to reach Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh and Gurgaon and Faridabad in Haryana.

The DMRC at present has 235 train sets of four, six and eight coaches, according to the information on its website.