Metro fare hike issue: Railway Minister misleading public, says K’taka Minister
Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister for Transport Ramalinga Reddy slammed Union Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw over his statements on metro fare hike in Bengaluru saying that he was misleading the public.
Minister Reddy addressed a press conference at the Vidhana Soudha on Monday and said, “These people don’t read legal provisions. So, there is no point in discussing their claims.”
Referring to Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Reddy remarked, “He has spoken without any understanding, simply repeating falsehoods. This is all part of a strategy by the propaganda-driven party.”
Reddy also took a jab at BJP MPs in Bengaluru, saying, “Two MPs from the city are falsely claiming credit for bringing the metro project. First, they should understand that it was initiated during former PM late Manmohan Singh’s tenure.”
He also criticized BJP MP from Bengaluru Tejasvi Surya, Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi, and former Chief Ministers Basavaraj Bommai and Jagadish Shettar.
“There is a legal framework for the purpose of the metro fare hike. According to Section 34 of the Metro Act 2002, metro fare revisions require formal procedures. Every state with metro services submits a request to the central government for fare hikes,” he said.
Based on this request, the Central government forms a committee to review and recommend fare hikes. For the Bengaluru metro, such a request was submitted, leading to the formation of a committee on September 7, 2024, as per the Central government letter.
The Central government-appointed committee for fare revision includes former Madras High Court Judge Justice R. Tharini as the Chairperson; Satinder Pal Singh Bhase, Additional Secretary; Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (Government of India), and Ramana Reddy, a retired IAS officer are members, he said.
Minister Reddy maintained that the committee has already submitted its recommendations on fare revision. However, under the Metro Act, this committee does not report to the state government.
“The fare hike recommendations were presented in the Metro Board Meeting before the Chairperson of the Metro Board Meeting, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (Government of India). The state government has only one representative on the Metro Board. The final decision on fare hike rests with the Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India,” Minister Reddy said.
“Thus, metro authorities do not submit fare hike proposals to the state government, and the same procedure is followed in all metro-operating states across India,” he underlined.
Ramalinga Reddy said it was the Congress government’s visionary leadership that brought the metro to Bengaluru, and accused some BJP leaders of falsely taking credit.
He lashed out at BJP leaders, saying, “The same people who were posting ‘Our Metro, Our Metro’ on social media projecting it as a matter entirely concerned with the Central government are now blaming the state government for fare hikes. Have they no shame or integrity?”
He said, “BJP leaders lack the courage to question the Central government. They should clarify whether the Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs attached to the Union government works under the state government or the Central government…BJP leaders in Karnataka should have the guts to question the Prime Minister. They claim to fight for the rights of the land and water but fail to stand up for the people. The people of Karnataka elected 17 BJP MPs, yet they have done nothing.”
Addressing concerns over the metro fare hike, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the state government is solely responsible for the increase in ticket prices.
“All responsibilities related to the metro fall under the jurisdiction of the state government. Despite this, a committee for metro fare revision exists only in Karnataka, not in Delhi. Given these facts, it is incorrect to blame the BJP for the fare hike,” he said.
The Union Minister further explained that similar policies apply in other major cities, including Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. Metro projects come under the purview of state governments, which have the authority to make all decisions related to metro services…The state government is accountable for all developments related to metro services. The Central government has not issued any directives regarding metro fares,” he concluded.
