CM writes to MoS Puri over Metro fare hike

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday wrote to the Centre, demanding that the decision to hike the fare of Delhi Metro be withheld and reviewed as it is "unacceptable".

In a letter to Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, Kejriwal said the proposed hike, to come into effect from October 10, would be in violation of the recommendations of the fare-fixation panel.

"The fare-fixation committee had recommended a gap of one year between two fare hikes. This recommendation is being completely violated because the proposed second hike in October, 2017 will take place even before six months since the previous fare hike," the CM said.

The committee, comprising representatives of both the state and central government, which have equal stakes in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), is entrusted with recommending fare hikes.

If the fares are raised, ticket prices will go up by a maximum of Rs 10 from October 10.

The Metro fares were last revised in May. The existing fare structure is Rs 10 for journeys up to a distance of two kilometres, Rs 15 for two to five km, Rs 20 for five to 12 km, Rs 30 for 12 to 21 km, Rs 40 for 21 to 32 km, Rs 50 for journeys of over 32 km.

From October 10, for a distance of up to two km, the fare will remain Rs 10. But for a distance between two and five kilometres, it will go up from Rs 15 to Rs 20.

For the subsequent slabs, it will go up by Rs 10 each, which means the maximum fare will be Rs 60.

The Aam Aadmi Party chief urged Puri to use his official capacity under section 86 of the Delhi Metro Railway (Operation and Maintenance) Act 2002 and issue directions to Metro officials, asking them to put the fare hike on hold.

He also demanded that a board meeting of the DMRC be convened to review the decision.