Bengaluru Metro fare hike to be temporarily put on hold: Tejasvi Surya
Bengaluru: BJP MP from Bengaluru South Tejasvi Surya on Saturday said that Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has instructed officials to temporarily put on hold the proposed metro fare hike in the city, which was scheduled to take effect from February 9.
He said the Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs also assured a personal review of anomalies in the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) and added that a fresh committee could be considered if the state government requests it.
"Had a detailed phone conversation with Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattarji, seeking his immediate intervention against the state government’s unjust Bengaluru metro fare hike proposed to start from Monday," Surya said in a post on 'X'.
He noted that Bengaluru already has the costliest metro fares in India, and another hike would make public transport unaffordable for lakhs of citizens, defeating its purpose.
"He has instructed that the proposed hike be kept on hold temporarily. It will not take effect from Monday. He also assured a personal review of anomalies in the FFC and said a fresh committee can be considered if the state requests it," Surya added.
Expressing gratitude to Khattar for his "swift and sensitive" response, the MP said this is another example of the Centre prioritising commuter welfare and preventing an unreasonable hike by the Congress government in the state.
"The question now is simple: Will the state government act in the citizens’ interest or hide behind lies again? CM Siddaramaiah must act at once, formally initiate the process to constitute a new FFC, and facilitate early rationalisation of fares. Mr CM, please answer—will you or won’t you?" he asked.
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on Thursday had said that metro fares would be revised on a zone-by-zone basis starting February 9 as part of its annual automatic fare adjustment system.
Under the new structure, Namma Metro fares were set to rise by Rs 1 to Rs 5 across 10 zones, with charges adjusted according to travel distances throughout the network.
Following the announcement, a blame game ensued between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP in the state. While the BJP blamed the state government for the decision, the Congress said the "hike was determined by the FFC, headed by central government officials, and the state was not consulted."
