Metro fares up , rides costlier from today
NEW DELHI: Starting Tuesday, Delhi Metro rides will become costlier by a maximum of ~10 for those travelling over two kilometres in the city.
In an emergency meeting conducted late on Monday, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) board decided by majority that it is not “competent” to roll back or defer the proposed fare hike. This development has brought down the curtains on a 10-daylong political confrontation between the Delhi government and the Centre on the issue.
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had expressed his opposition to the proposed hike in two missives to Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri, openly disapproved of the board’s decision. “Out of 16 (board members), Delhi govt had 5 directors who opposed (the move). But the Centre is adamant. Hike too steep. Centre shud hv been more considerate towards common man,” he tweeted soon after the meeting concluded.
The decision of the board, headed by housing and urban affairs secretary DS Mishra, came close on the heels of the Delhi assembly passing a resolution against the proposed fare hike earlier in the day. Metro fares are set to increase by anywhere between ~5 and ~10 for those travelling over two kilometres from Tuesday. This, incidentally, is the second instance of a fare hike this year.
On May 8, the DMRC board had approved the recommendation of the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) that the fare be increased in two rounds. The
first took place on May 10, when minimum ticket costs were raised from Rs 8 to Rs 10 and the maximum from Rs 30 to Rs 50.
Sources said Delhi chief secretary MM Kutty, who represented the AAP government on the DMRC board, conveyed chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s message that the fare hike be rolled back because it is “anti-people”. However, the board rejected the Delhi government’s stand by citing Section 37 of the Metro Railways (Operations and Maintenance) Act-2002 – which states that the FFC’S recommendations are “binding”, “sacrosanct” and not subject to the Centre’s intervention.
Kejriwal’s confrontation with the Centre began when he wrote to Puri on September 30, seeking reconsideration of the proposed hike. In his response, the Union minister said it was “legally untenable” to place the fare hike on hold because the FFC’S recommendations were binding under the Delhi Metro Act.
Puri, however, said the Centre could consider setting up a new FFC to take a re-look at the proposed hike if the Delhi government agreed to shell out an annual sum of Rs 3,000 crore for the next five years – so the DMRC can pay off its loans and bridge over operational losses.
The DMRC is afflicted with depleted savings, a Rs 45,000crore debt, and a rising operating ratio that leaves little for maintenance work.
It needs to raise Rs 16,104 crore over the next five years to fulfill several financial commitments, including repaying loan liabilities to the Japan International Cooperation Agency and meeting operational expenses.
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