Bengaluru Metro fare rise: DK Shivakumar to meet BMRCL officials on Monday; Khattar assures hike will be temporarily put on hold, says Tejasvi Surya

Karnataka deputy CM and KPCC president DK Shivakumar with Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya

• Congress and BJP blame each other for Bengaluru Metro's proposed fare hike
• State says fare hike decision made by committee led by Centre's secretary
• Minister asked officials to pause fare hike planned for February 9.

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The political war of words over the proposed Bengaluru Metro fare hike intensified on February 7, with Congress and BJP trading blame over responsibility for the increase.

Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar said state government was not responsible for fixing Metro fares, pointing out that fare fixation committee (FFC) is headed by a secretary appointed by the Union government.

Also, read: Why Bengaluru Metro is enforcing annual fare hikes while Delhi resists, despite similar panel recommendations

Speaking to reporters in Mangaluru and later at his Sadashivanagar residence, Shivakumar said no file related to the fare hike had come to him for approval. “How is the state government responsible for the Metro fare hike? The fare fixation committee is headed by a secretary from the Centre. If I have signed any file related to it, you can hold me responsible,” he said.

He added that he would discuss the issue with officials of Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on Monday. “We don’t want to trouble the common people. I will review the financial situation,” the Deputy CM said, responding to BJP allegations that the state government was to blame for the hike.

Reacting to BJP claims that fares were increased because the state government had failed to provide financial assistance to BMRCL, Shivakumar said, “Let the BJP first say what it has done for the state.”

Also, read: Bengaluru Metro fares to go up 5% from February 9, BMRCL kicks off annual revision

Commenting on Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya’s statement that Metro fares could not be increased without the state government’s approval, Shivakumar said Surya lacked administrative experience and accused him of restricting himself to statements and social media posts.

Tejasvi Surya says hike put on hold

Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya said he had spoken to Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar, seeking immediate intervention to stop the proposed fare hike.

In a statement, Surya said Bengaluru already has the costliest Metro fares in the country and that another hike would make public transport unaffordable for many commuters. He claimed that Khattar had instructed officials to keep the proposed fare hike on hold temporarily and that it would not take effect from Monday.

Also, read: Bengaluru Metro fare hike ahead of civic polls triggers Congress-BJP blame game; commuters bear the brunt

Surya also said the Union minister had assured a personal review of anomalies in the fare fixation committee and that the formation of a fresh committee could be considered if the state government made a formal request.

BMRCL, meanwhile, has not issued any statement on the rollback of the proposed 5% fare hike, which will come into effect on February 9.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on February 6 said the state government has no authority to roll back the Metro fare hike, reiterating that fares are determined by an independent committee constituted by the Union government.

While acknowledging commuter distress, the Chief Minister said the issue had been formally taken up with the Centre, urging it to reconsider and rationalise the revised fares.

Also, read: Karnataka CM seeks rollback of Bengaluru Metro fare hike, says Centre alone can decide