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Bengaluru, October 29 (IANS) BJP Yuva Morcha national president and Bengaluru South MP Tejashwi Surya on Wednesday demanded that metro fares in Bengaluru should be reduced as soon as possible.
“Currently, 10 lakh people travel by metro every day in Bengaluru, while 45 lakh people use Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses – meaning 55 lakh citizens are already dependent on public transport,” he said.
Speaking to reporters at Jagannath Bhawan, the state headquarters of the BJP, Tejaswi Surya said, “The government should reduce the fares for its own benefit.”
Criticizing the hike in metro fares, he said, “From Konanakunte to Orion Mall in the city, a one-way metro journey for a family of four costs Rs 280, while driving a car costs Rs 160. However, a car journey takes 75 minutes. Shouldn’t this be encouraged instead of burdening public transport?”
“For example, if a couple travels by metro from Lalbagh to Orion Mall, it costs Rs 100 and takes 25 minutes. On a bike, it costs only Rs 30. Should metro fares be such that more people use it, or should they remain much higher?” he asked.
“But now, the government thinks – if you don’t have a car, you won’t get the girl – and that’s why they want to build a tunnel road,” he said sarcastically.
“The Pink Line from Kalena Agrahara to Nagawara was to be completed in 2020. Then the deadline was extended to March 2025 and now to March 2026. On an average, every metro line in Bengaluru is delayed by five to six years,” he said.
“Government claims tunnel construction is being delayed due to blockage of hard rock. Is hard rock only for metro? Will they get soft rock if they build roads instead?”. He quipped.
He said, “The Blue Line to the airport was initially scheduled to be completed in 2024. Now they say it will be partially ready by 2026 and completely ready by 2027. God only knows when that will actually happen.”
He criticized, saying, “They have proposed a tunnel road on the same alignment as the Sarjapur-Hebbal metro line. The metro is planned to be completed by 2031, but the DPR for the tunnel project is also pending. The Sarjapur-Hebbal metro can carry 69,000 passengers per hour, but this government does not care about that. They want to serve only 1,800 car owners.”
He alleged, “When people ask what the MPs are doing – let me remind you that after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government came to power, within the first 100 days, we got the DPR approved for the JP Nagar-Kempapura Orange Line. But even after one and a half years, no tender has been called. They have put it on hold to pursue their double decker tunnel plan.”
In the press conference, BJP State General Secretary P. Rajeev, State Vice President Malvika Avinash, Bengaluru North District President S. Harish and Bengaluru Central District President Saptagiri Gowda were present.
–IANS
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