'Karnataka government responsible for the hike in Bangalore Metro fare', Railway Minister response

Amid public outbursts over the Bangalore metro fare hike, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, on Saturday, attacked the state government, accusing them that the fare fixation committee of the metro rail does not happen to be in Delhi. In this connection, he added that the question regarding the hike in fares of the metro rail has to be asked by the Chief Minister, not the central government.

Addressing a press conference, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said, 'The state government knows the ground reality of the city and they should be in the process of taking important decisions for every metro project. So please ask this question to the Chief Minister of the state.' The pricing proposal should be prepared by the state government.

According to the railway minister, the state government is responsible for everything related to the metro rail and should be asked about the fare hike. A week ago, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) announced a fare hike in the city, doubling metro prices, citing increased operating costs and the need to repay loans. Taking a cue from ride-hailing services, BMRCL hiked fares by five percent during peak hours.

After the general public expressed their anger and submitted a memorandum to the state government, the Managing Director of BMRCL, M Maheshwara Rao, has been asked by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to remove the inconsistencies wherein prices have risen two-fold in some sections. The hike was not implemented and according to Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre last month directed BMRCL to put the proposed hike on hold. In a post on 'X' on January 29, PC Mohan said, 'The 45% metro fare hike proposed by BMRCL for February 1 has been put on hold. The Modi government has directed BMRCL to submit a comprehensive report before taking any decision.