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Bengaluru, Nov 4 (IANS) BJP leader and Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the ‘exorbitant’ fare hike implemented by the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL).
He said that ticket prices to cover some distance in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Nagpur metro are almost half.
The official statement said that during a review meeting held on Tuesday, Surya pointed out a major calculation error committed by BMRCL in determining the base year for maintenance and administrative costs, which forms the foundation of the fare fixation committee report.
He pointed out that instead of considering the maintenance and administration cost of 2017-18, BMRCL calculated the M&A cost related to 2016-17 while requesting the hike before the FFC.
This miscalculation has led to unjustified increase in fares, resulting in passengers having to pay an estimated amount of over Rs 150 crore since the fare revision.
Surya also pointed out that even though the average fare increase stood at 51.5 per cent, the most common journeys undertaken by passengers (those in the 8-15 km slab) have seen an unreasonable increase of close to 70 per cent.
He said the cost of a similar journey in the metropolitan cities of Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Nagpur is almost half the ticket price of Namma Metro.
The MP has urged BMRCL to immediately remove the discrepancies in fare determination and ensure that passengers are not burdened with erroneous calculations.
He also sought a detailed explanation from BMRCL as to how the error occurred and whether any corrective measures have been initiated.
BMRCL officials assured the MP that a formal response on the issue would be shared shortly.
Surya reiterated that public transport must remain affordable, transparent and accountable and such lapses undermine public confidence in critical urban mobility systems like the Namma Metro.
–IANS
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