Nine-member committee to look into Metro fare hike

Syed Ali Ahmed

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 10

Legislative Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel today constituted a nine-member committee to examine the issues of the Metro fare hike and financial health of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) after a discussion on hiked fare today. The Aam Aadmi Party has also announced to launch “Satyagrah”.

Though the Delhi Government opposed this hike asking the union government to hold back the Fare Fixation Committee’s decision to hike the fare, but Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri in his statement said he could not interfere in the DMRC acts.

Following the request of the Chief Minister to hold back the hike and a resolution passed by the Delhi Legislative Assembly yesterday, the DMRC board under the chairmanship of the Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, last evening had a meeting in this connection that said the government could not stop the decision of the Metro fare taken by the DMRC Board.

MLAs across the party line today again in the assembly house reiterated that the government should rollback hiked price. Ruling party MLAs said the government should launch a movement against the fare hike to pressurise the union government to rollback increased fare.

Minister of Transport Rajesh Gehlot urged the Speaker to constitute a committee to find out the reasons for fare hike and functioning of the DMRC. The Metro could use its properties to generate revenue but this is being done to benefit the Ola and Uber taxi service companies.

The MLAs also showed newspaper clippings in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sitting.

Initiating the debate MLA Sanjeev Jha said the DMRC had increased the Metro fare to generate revenue. But on the first day Metro rails were seen running empty. People have stopped travelling in the Metro due to costly fare. Either they use their personal vehicle or other mode of transport that will result in traffic congestion. To attract more passengers the DMRC should have reduced the fare. Earlier airport Metro fare was Rs 120 and at that time less people were travelling and it was in loss. When its fare was reduced to 60 per cent the airport Metro is running in profit.

AAP convenor Gopal Rai said his party would launch a "satygaraha" to demand a rollback and protest outside all Metro stations tomorrow and will gherao Nirman Bhawan, the office of the Union Urban Development Ministry, on Thursday.

While triggering his gun towards the union government, Saurabh Bhardwaj demanded that the Speaker should also call a discussion on Temple Enterprise Company of Jay Shah, son of BJP national president.