A day after it came into effect, the Delhi Metro fare hike continued to dominate political discourse in the Capital with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal directing the Development and Dialogue Commission (DDC) to examine its impact on the “common man” and asking the Chief Secretary to issue the necessary orders in this regard.
Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, along with a delegation of party leaders, called on Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri to discuss the issue, in addition to plans related to “better road traffic flow”.
Economy in recession
“The steep hike in Metro fares has caused considerable distress to the people of Delhi. This hike could not have come at a worse time. The economy is in recession, medium and small-scale businesses are facing loses and unemployment is soaring high,” Mr. Kejriwal wrote in a letter to the Chief Secretary.
“Being an equal partner in DMRC, the Delhi government is deeply concerned with the hike and its impact on the common man. DDC may, therefore, be directed to examine the issues...and submit its recommendations at the earliest,” he wrote.
The Chief Minister has asked the DDC to examine whether the hike was justified, could it have been avoided, was the Delhi Metro operating at optimum capacity or whether there were areas of inefficiency in its operations.
“The DDC may, therefore, be directed to examine these and all other relevant records and meet with the officials of DMRC and GNCTD. It may also engage experts or consultants to undertake this task. The Chief Secretary may get necessary orders issued,” Mr. Kejriwal added.
Bridge project
Mr. Tiwari, during his meeting with Mr. Puri, requested him to review the new fares, especially for slabs of 5 to 12 km and 12 to 21 km, apart from seeking relief for students and senior citizens.
“He also raised the problem of traffic jams in the city, especially in northeast Delhi and the outskirts. The slow pace of work on Signature Bridge project also came up for discussion. Mr. Puri assured that he will call a high-level meeting for time-bound completion of projects and for drawing up better traffic flow plans for Delhi,” the BJP said in a statement.
