Bengaluru metro fare not to be hiked from today as political tussle heats up

THe Bangalore subway rail in corp modified (BMRCL) on sun said it has put on hold the implementation of the annual metro fare revision that was scheduled to come into effect from February 9, amid a growing political tussle between the state government and the Centre.In a statement, BMRCL said its earlier announcement on the revised fare structure would not be implemented until further orders, indicating 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 corporation said.It added that the matter will be placed before the BMRCL board before any final decision is taken. “The decision on the revised fare will be communicated after the board’s review,” the statement said.The proposed revision involved an annual 5 per cent hike, translating into an increase of about ₹1 to ₹5 across fare slabs. The announcement had triggered criticism from commuters and sharp exchanges between the ruling Congress in Karnataka and the opposition BJP and JD(S).On Sunday, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya interacted with metro commuters to gather feedback on the proposed hike. He later told reporters that passengers were unhappy over frequent fare revisions and accused chief minister Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar of misleading the public by blaming the Centre for the increase.Surya also demanded the constitution of a Fare Fixation Committee, alleging anomalies in the existing panel’s calculations. On Saturday, he said Manohar Lal Khattar had instructed officials to temporarily keep the proposed hike on hold and assured a personal review of the committee’s findings. He added that a fresh committee could be considered if the state government makes a formal request.HD Kumaraswamy also blamed the state government for the fare revision. Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, he alleged that despite the Centre asking the state not to go ahead with the hike, it was insisting on implementing it and later shifting the blame.“After increasing metro fares, the state government is passing the buck to the Centre, which is untrue,” he said, adding that the state was not maintaining a cooperative approach in implementing central schemes and policies.The Congress, however, rejected the BJP’s charges and said fare decisions are not taken by the state government. In a post on X, the party termed Surya’s position that the Centre has no role in metro fare hikes as “hypocritical,” and questioned how the Centre could pause the revision if it had no authority over fare setting.Chief minister Siddaramaiah has maintained that under the Metro Railways (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002, fares are determined by a Fare Fixation Committee appointed by the Union government, and the state has no legal power to override such decisions.Reiterating its stand, BMRCL said commuter interest remains its priority. “BMRCL remains committed to providing safe, reliable, and affordable metro services to the citizens of Bengaluru,” it said.