After seven months, several court strictures and two adverse judgments, the Union government has finally woken up to the woes of Mumbaikars who are now paying double for their Metro ride.
A Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) has been appointed under the chairpersonship of retired Justice E. Padmanabhan, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Twitter on Saturday. But activists have said the step is “too less, too late.”
“Mumbaikars have to pay double for their Metro ride now. This is due to the inaction of the Central government. It happened because the government failed to appoint the Fare Fixation Committee at right time, and because the Metro Act itself allows the operating body to decide its fares,” RTI activist Anil Galgali said.
He has written to the Centre and State governments seeking an amendment to the Metro Act. “The Act should be amended, and the government be given the right to change fares so that Mumbaikars are not plundered in future,” he said.
Mumbai Metro fares doubled from Rs. 10- Rs. 20 band to Rs. 10- Rs. 40 band after the Bombay High Court allowed Mumbai Metro One Pvt. Ltd. (MMOPL) to hike the fares this week. MMOPL (a joint venture between R-Infra and MMRDA) had claimed in the court that it was facing daily operational losses to the tune of Rs. 85 lakh. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had said the losses were of R-Infra’ own making and that the commuters should not be made to pay for it.
But the court, after having given the Union government seven months to form a Fare Fixation Committee, was at the end of its patience this week. “The most unfortunate part is, the Government of India has been sitting on it [the proposal for the formation of FFC] for over six months now,” Chief Justice Mohit Shah said while passing the judgment this week.
The court also refused the MMRDA’s plea of stay on its order. The MMRDA had pleaded that it wanted to appeal against the decision before the apex court.
Last year, the MMOPL hiked the passenger rates on the Versova-Ghatkopar Metro line. The move prompted the MMRDA to approach the Bombay High Court. A single judge Bench of the Bombay High Court had dismissed the MMRDA’s plea in July last year, and had upheld the MMOPL’s right to fix fares till the Fare Fixation Committee arrived at a conclusion. It had also directed immediate formation of the FFC.
But the government did not appoint FFC then. Instead, the MMRDA appealed against the single-bench judgment before the Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Mohit Shah.
Even the Division Bench directed the government to immediately form the FFC. It gave extensions to the government from time to time for the same.
On July 7, 2014, the Division Bench issued notices to the Central government and the Maharashtra government for forming an FFC. On July 23, 2014, when the government said it was yet to form the FFC, the court gave the government an ultimatum.
It said, “If the fare fixation committee is not appointed and does not take a decision till September 30, the court will consider the prayer on behalf of the MMOPL for fare collection.”
In September last year again, the court gave another ultimatum to the government, and rapped it for failing to form the FFC. Despite such a long rope, the government informed the court this month that it was still in the process of forming the FFC.
The court thereafter refused to grant any further extension to the government, and gave a judgment in favour of the MMOPL.
