Metro fare relief for students, elderly

I had asked DMRC to find a technologybased solution to provide concession to students and senior citizens. They are ready with it.

HARDEEP PURI, Union housing and urban affairs minister

NEW DELHI : The Centre is ready with a technology-based solution to provide concession in Metro fares to students and the elderly, housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said. But the concession amount will be decided by the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) — which is constituted by the Centre to revise Metro Fare-said Puri on Tuesday.

“I had asked DMRC to find a technology-based solution to provide concession to students and senior citizens. They are ready with it. DMRC’S managing director (Mangu Singh) has told me that they are confident that they will be able to do it in six months, once they get the go ahead,” said Puri.

The minister said that the concession may be extended to differently abled people later.

The Delhi government had in June announced its plan to provide free ride to women in Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses and Metro trains. Recently, it has set aside Rs 290 crore—rs 140 crore for DTC and Rs 150 crore for Metro trains-- for the implementation of this plan.

But the central government, Puri said, will not provide any subsidy for the concession in fares. “I have a different approach towards it. The concession to be provided must be such that it (Metro operator) is able to absorb it (within its revenue). The fare fixation committee will have to take a view on the (amount of) concession which can be provided. If the FFC makes a recommendation then the operator has to decide whether its revenue collections will fit in or not,” Puri said.

DMRC officials didn’t reveal how the concessions will be provided to the beneficiaries, but said “technology-based solution” to provide it is in advance stages.

According to senior officials aware of the development, the plan proposed by both the Delhi government and the Centre can’t be implemented till the time it is approved by the DMRC board and the Fare Fixation Committee.

Puri said a decision to implement the plan will be taken soon, though he didn’t specify any time frame for it.