‘Kutty not probing Metro fare hike on BJP order’

Arvind Kejriwal’s directions ordering probe were refused by Chief Secretary on Friday afternoon, says CM office

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s instruction to Chief Secretary M.M. Kutty on Wednesday to look into the hike in Metro fares this week was ignored on the orders of the BJP, as per the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.

On Wednesday, Mr. Kejriwal had in written directions to the Chief Secretary asked for an investigation on whether the hike in fares that came into effect on Tuesday was justified, whether it could have been avoided, whether the Delhi Metro was operating at optimum capacity and whether the Delhi government’s stand against the proposal was conveyed to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and the Fare Fixation Committee.

As per his office, Mr. Kejriwal’s directions ordering a probe were refused by the Chief Secretary on Friday afternoon and then again in the evening when he was summoned to the Chief Minister’s residence.

“The denial of Mr. Kutty to order the inquiry even after being asked by the Chief Minister for the same is a first of its kind in the democratic history of the country. This makes it clear that the Chief Secretary has the backing of the BJP-led Centre and is sabotaging the Delhi government’s efforts to send relief to the people of Delhi by getting the fare hike inquired,” read the statement.

‘Dereliction, sabotage’

The elected government, the statement added, would look into options of dealing with the “dereliction and sabotage” by officials.

While the AAP dispensation has opposed the hike in fares, everyone from the Chief Minister to Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot have questioned whether the government’s stand was conveyed to the Metro authorities adequately. The Delhi government has representatives on the DMRC Board as well as the Fare Fixation Committee, on whose recommendations the hike was implemented.