Assembly to probe Metro fare hike logic

Govt says ‘objections were slighted, hike was approved in undemocratic manner’; AAP to launch protest

The government has no right to protest now because its representatives didn’t raise objections before the FFCs. AJAY MAKEN, Delhi Congress chief We are not satisfied with the hike. We are meeting the urban development minister on Wednesday for relief. MANOJ TIWARI, Delhi BJP chief

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday said it would launch a protest from Wednesday at all metro stations demanding rollback of the fare hike even as the Delhi assembly resolved to constitute a nine-member committee to look into the “rationale” behind the move.

AAP’s Delhi convener Gopal Rai said party leaders would protest at the Union urban development ministry office at Nirman Bhavan on October 13.

The AAP has dubbed the protest “Metro Kiraya Satyagraha”.

The ministry and the Delhi government are equal stakeholders in Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

The Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution, tabled by AAP MLA Somnath Bharti, to form a nine-member committee to look into “the rationale and logic behind the hike in tariff” and “financial health of DMRC”.

Speaker Ram Niwas Goel will nominate members of the committee. Metro fares were increased from Tuesday despite opposition from government.

Rai said the Modi government left them with no option but to hit the streets by increasing the fares. “The increase in Metro fares will trouble the common man but will help cab aggregators, whose services would now become cheaper than metro. Our demand is rollback of the hike,” the AAP leader said.

On Monday, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia had termed the fare hike as “conspiracy” to benefit online cab aggregators.

Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot while replying to a discussion in the House said the decision to go ahead with the fare hike, in DMRC’s “emergency board meeting”, was taken in an “undemocratic manner”.

Gahlot said that in Monday’s board meeting, five directors nominated by the Delhi government strongly placed their views but the hike could not be stopped.

“If the voices of our directors are not even considered, then what is the point of the Delhi government having a 50% stake in DMRC,” Gahlot said.

Health minister Satyendar Jain said students and working people would be the worst hit.

“This fare hike will not raise Metro’s collection but reduce the ridership. It is a conspiracy to increase congestion,” he said. He said DMRC should use its properties to increase its revenue.

AAP legislator Sanjeev Jha started the discussion. His colleague Alka Lamba called Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and the Centre “dictatorial”.