Bengaluru Metro fare hike put on hold: Credit goes to Karnataka govt, ‘Centre has no role', says Shivakumar

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) has suspended the implementation of the yearly fare adjustment, which was slated to take effect on 9 February.

Following the BMRCL decision, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar on Monday said the decision to put the fare hike on hold was made by the Karnataka government. The deputy CM said he has directed the BMRCL officials to prepare a revised fare structure.

"BMRCL fare increase is based on a formula - OMR cost, existing cost based on CPI, and energy cost. Based on this, I have directed them to come up with a revised fare. In Delhi, for example, security and other things are taken care of by the central government. The cost is very high. I have asked them to recalculate. The decision to put the fare hike on hold was made by the Karnataka Government; the central government has no role in this. There is a formula, and accordingly, FFC (Fare Fixation Committee) has done all the workouts of expenditure and other things," Shivakumar said.

In a statement released on Sunday, the BMRCL said the prior notification regarding the tariff update would not be implemented until further instructions, suggesting that a final decision is still pending.

"The media release dated February 5 announcing the implementation of the annual fare revision with effect from February 9 has been kept on hold till further orders," the BMRCL statement said.

The BMRCL also mentioned that the issue would be reviewed by its board before any resolution is reached.

"The decision on the revised fare will be communicated after the board's review," the corporation added.

Later, he informed journalists that they were frustrated by constant price changes and accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar of “deceiving the citizens” by blaming the Centre for the increase.

Surya also requested the establishment of a Fare Fixation Committee.

Reaffirming its service dedication, the BMRCL noted it continues to emphasize passengers' welfare.

"The BMRCL remains committed to providing safe, reliable, and affordable metro services to the citizens of Bengaluru," it said.

On Saturday, Surya remarked that Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar had directed bureaucrats to briefly put the planned metro fare rise on standby.

Surya noted that the minister also promised a private assessment of discrepancies in the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) and mentioned a new panel could be contemplated if the regional administration asked for it.

Meanwhile, Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries HD Kumaraswamy faulted the state administration for the metro price surge.

He claimed that although the Centre urged the state leadership not to enforce the rise, it was adamant about proceeding with it.