DMK Supremo M. Karunanidhi on Monday called for reducing the fare of the Chennai Metro, saying it was 250 per cent more than what was being charged by the Delhi Metro.
“The State government and the Chennai Metro should take into consideration the buying capacity of the people and reduce the fare. I am making this demand as a former Chief Minister, one who initiated the works for the launch of the Metro,” Mr. Karunanidhi said in a statement.
Mr. Karunanidhi said that Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, by choosing to inaugurate the Metro project through video conferencing, had not treated the Rs. 14,600-crore project with the importance that it deserved. “Though both the Centre and the State government have invested equally for the project, Union Ministers were not invited for the inauguration,” he said. The DMK leader said Ms. Jayalalithaa adopted an inconsistent policy when it came to the Chennai Metro and after coming to power, she argued that a monorail was better than the Metro. “But subsequently, she opted for the Metro. She speeded up the project only after DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin threatened to launch a protest,” he said.
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