Metro fare hike: Maken says Centre, AAP playing politics

New Delhi: Delhi Pradesh Congress  Committee (DPCC) president Ajay Maken on Monday accused the central and Delhi governments of playing “petty politics” ahead of the proposed Delhi Metro train fare hike.

He said that the Congress will take the matter to the streets and run a ‘Save Metro’ campaign. He said that chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had no right to raise his voice over the proposed Metro fare hike, as he did not do anything when the fare fixation committee fixed the fare hike.

“If the Centre and Delhi government continue to do politics over the Metro, there are possibilities that the Japan government will not help us in the fourth phase of Delhi Metro. The third phase has already been delayed enough. This will scare away the JBIC (Japanese loan agency) which provides loan for the construction of the new phases of the Metro,” Mr Maken said.  

He said that the AAP government on Monday held a one-day face-saving session of the Assembly to discuss the Metro fare hike, knowing well that the it would come into effect from Tuesday.

Calling the Assembly session an eyewash, Mr Maken said that the former UPA government at the Centre had hiked the Metro fares only once in 10 years, while the fares were hiked twice in the past 10 years by the BJP and the AAP governments in one year.

Stating that chief secretary K.K. Sharma was a member of the FFC, he said, “Then why didn’t he raise his voice when the FFC decided to raise the Metro fares in the FFC meeting.”

The chief minister should offer a subsidy of Rs 800 to Rs 900 crore to Delhi Metro to stop the metro fare hike, Mr Maken added.