Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will have to wait for a final decision on increasing fares with the Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu declining to talk about fare hikes.
Delhi Metro is equally owned by the Delhi Government and Urban Development Ministry.
DMRC, which has not been able to increase fares since 2009, resorted to an indirect method recently that would generate additional revenue. It doubled the minimum top up value on smart cards to ₹200 from ₹100.
“This is not the right time to talk about fare hikes,” Naidu said at the launch the Mandi House to Central Secretariat section of the Delhi Metro here.
“I have told DMRC to study the present fares and then see whether some revision can take place. But, with other costs increasing, one of the things is to generate income by using other sources. I have asked Delhi Metro to use other sources such as ATM, food court. So that it gets some additional income,” added Naidu.
“…However, in the long term we have to make metro rail viable,” Naidu.
Earlier, Governments have usually delayed putting in place fare hikes in the run up to elections. “Delhi does not have a State Government in place now...,” he said in the context a question on delayed land acquisition.