Metro commuters protest fare hike, say people will be burdened
A group of Delhi metro commuters boycotted the metro on Saturday and protested outside Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) office against the recent fare hike.
The Delhi Metro Commuters’ Association submitted a memorandum to DMRC. They said if Metro doesn’t accept the demand for an immediate reduction of fare, other measures will be taken in the coming days.
Another group of activists gathered at Jantar Mantar and burnt an effigy of Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu. They accused DMRC and the UD ministry of working for the Japanese with utter disregard for common people of Delhi.
Members of the association distributed leaflets to passengers at more than 50 metro stations, including Rajiv Chowk, Kashmere Gate, Azadpur, GTB Nagar, Shadipur, Nangloi, Inderlok, Badarpur, Chandni Chowk, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Malviya Nagar, Patel Nagar, Seelampur, Govindpuri among others.
The leaflet distribution campaign continued throughout the day.
“DMCA condemns the recent decision of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to increase the fares of metro, which would be disastrous for Delhi’s citizenry, already compelled to make ends meet amid the increasing inflationary pressure. The fare increase moreover, has been done with the purported reason that the losses in running metro need to be offset. But it is false, considering the fact the government continues to give tax rebates to business houses, even as it cites inefficiency and losses as reasons to increase metro fare,” said Sachin Singh Bhandari, convener of the association.