Abnormal rise in Delhi Metro fare

At last, Metro fare was raised unbearably by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, which is straight under the control of Central Govt. The Metro fare hike will directly affect the livelihood of Delhiites as it is connected with it. AAP Govt. and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had strongly opposed the proposal for Metro fare hike, but no heed was paid by the Central govt. Central Govt. is of the view that without adequate expense on the Metro, it cannot provide world-class service. It is right that good service demands good cost. But as Delhi Metro is the lifeline of Delhiites and all of them are not in a position to afford the increased fare, it appears the backbreaking move against the metro riders. They would have to stop availing Metro service and choose some other sources of conveyance cheaper than the Metro. All are not equally well off in Delhi that they would have no problem with the increased fare. More than 80 percent of office goers go to their offices by Metro to reach in time. Metro is preferred because it provides satisfactory, fast and punctual service to the commuters. To go to the office in time daily, Metro is the first and last priority of all Delhiites. As there is no disruption normally in the movement of Metro from this corner to that corner in Delhi, Delhiites had the privilege of doing the job anywhere in the city and distance no longer remained any hurdle for them. In about one and half hours, one can make a round of Delhi. This is the miracle of Delhi Metro. So, a steep rise in Delhi Metro fare will create many problems for, especially, the petty job holders and daily wages earner. They live in one corner because of cheap accommodation in the area and work in another corner only due to the Metro service. It could only be possible because of the running of Metro train. Only in May this year, the Metro fare was raised from Rs.8 to 10 as its first slab. Its impact was felt by Metro in the decreasing trends in its passengers. Now as the steep rise in fare was introduced, the number of commuters will definitely go down. Despite the letter written by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to Hardeep Singh Puri, the Minister of State for Tourism, to handover DMRC to Delhi Govt. to manage without raising fare of the Metro, no attention was paid. Instead, Suri said that Metro would meet the same fate as DTC it its fare was not hiked. It is a matter of common knowledge that without adequate expense, one cannot avail good service. But matter here is that the commuters who would avail the high class if they had the capacity to afford the increased fare. So, while increasing the fare in the name of providing better service, the DMRC must have kept in view the affordability of the Metro commuters in Delhi. If the Metro needs immediate financial support to keep it running in the same condition, the Govt. should have taken responsibility of providing adequate funds. Burdening the poor Delhiites more and more is not a good idea of the Narendra Modi govt. Delhiites are not in a position to afford the increased Metro fare. Metro riding is becoming costlier and costlier year by year. Delhi Metro is the lifeline of Delhiites. But it gets costlier from today.As part of the two-phase revision of Metro fares recommended by the Committee, the fare would remain Rs. 10 for the first 2 km, but will subsequently increase by Rs. 10 in each slab, going up to a maximum of Rs. 60.The Metro fares were last revised in May when the minimum tariff was raised from Rs. 8 to Rs. 10.The revised fare structure will be: up to 2 km - Rs. 10, 2-5 km - Rs. 20, 5-12 km - Rs. 30, 12-21 km - Rs. 40, 21-32 km - Rs. 50 and for journeys beyond 32 km - Rs. 60.