Union urban ministry to look into Metro fare hike

New Delhi: The Union urban affairs ministry said that it will “examine the issues” raised by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal over the proposed fare hike by the Delhi Metro.

In a letter to Union minister for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, Mr Kejriwal the had termed the fare increase as “unacceptable” and demanded that the decision be withheld and reviewed. As per a senior official of the ministry, Mr Puri has asked Union urban development secretary D.S. Mishra to examine the issues.

The proposed Delhi Metro hike, to be effected from October 10, by saying that it is in “complete violation of the recommendations of the fare-fixation panel, he said.

“The fare-fixation panel had recommended a gap of one year between two fare hikes. This proposed hike is in violation of the panel’s recommendations because it is taking place before six months since the previous fare hike,” Mr Kejriwal said, in a letter to Mr Puri.

The Delhi Metro fares were last revised in May.

If the hike was brought in place, the fares would have gone up by a maximum of Rs 10 from October 10. The existing fare structure is: up to 2 km-Rs 10, 2-5 km-Rs 15, 5-12 km -Rs 20, 12-21 km-Rs 30, 21-32 km-Rs 40 and for journeys beyond 32 km-Rs 50.

Meanwhile, the Delhi chief minister also demanded that the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) should put its income and expenditure in the public domain. Mr Kewjriwal also said that there is an “immediate” need for an independent audit of the DMRC.

The Delhi Metro, on its part, has been maintaining it has a “huge loan liability” and a rising operating ratio, which means its expenditure against every rupee earned is going up.

In his letter to the Union mimnistry, Mr Kejriwal had referred to the financial model of the Hong Kong Metro and suggested that following it would significantly improve the DMRC’s finances and lead to a much lower fare hike. He also mentioned that his assertion was based on the “advise” of the fare-fixation panel.