Comments
About 27 lakh commuters of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) started paying higher charges on Tuesday.
However, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, following resistance to the hike, also announced that they have decided to widen the window in which a large number of smart card users can get a 20 per cent discount. About 70 per cent of 27 lakh commuters use smart cards, according to DMRC.
Off-peak hour discountIn an announcement, the DMRC stated that commuters who enter the metro system in off-peak hours will get the discount. Smart card users have been getting a ten per cent discount since they were introduced.
DMRC has defined peak hours -- before 8 am, 12 noon to 5 pm, and after 9 pm.
DMRC believes that more commuters such as students, office-goers who are smart card holders can also get the 20 per cent discount as they commute during off-peak hours.
Board meetingThe decision to continue with the fare increase came through after a Board meeting of DMRC that went late into Monday.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri asked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal not to politicise metro fare hike, while the Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia felt that the Metro should not be made a premium mode of public transport.
Recent data released by DMRC showed that ridership had been impacted in some of the lines after the fare hike was implemented. Delhi Metro is owned on a 50:50 joint venture by the Centre and the State government.
DMRC has said the the steep hike will be tempered after the entire phase III is implemented. Large portions of phase III are expected to be implemented by 2018.
Commuter reactionMeanwhile, several metro users are opposing the hike. Stella, a daily commuter who uses the Metro for one hour, was not aware of the extent of hike, or that the fare hike is happening, said, “We obviously oppose the fare hike”.
Saumya, another user, who is a long-distance Metro user, said she would be affected by the hike.
Even after the first round of hike in May, several Metro users were protesting against the steep hike, with concerns on the grading — the step up between distance slabs. Users were not sure whom to blame for the increase -- the Delhi government or the Centre.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.