Delhi govt allots Rs 290 cr to make bus, Metro travel free for women

The allocations were made part of the 2019-20 budget’s supplementary demands that were unanimously cleared Monday, the last day of the monsoon session of the Delhi Assembly.

The Delhi government Monday allotted Rs 140 crore for the free ride scheme for women in buses, which is set to take off on October 29, and Rs 150 crore for a similar scheme in the Delhi Metro, the roll out of which is still unclear.

The Delhi government had announced free ride in buses and Delhi Metro for women as part of its efforts to enhance security for women in the national capital. (Sonu Mehta / HT File)

The allocations were made part of the 2019-20 budget’s supplementary demands that were unanimously cleared Monday, the last day of the monsoon session of the Delhi Assembly.

The Delhi government had announced the two schemes as part of its efforts to enhance security for women in the national capital. While the bus scheme is straightforward enough as the government has control over it, the Metro scheme ran into problems from Day 1 as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had raised many red flags over its implementation.

“Buses will be free for women in Delhi soon enough. When it comes to the metro, the scheme is likely to take some time due to some technicalities. But what if it gets all necessary approvals before the financial year ends? We do not want its implementation to get delayed for any shortage of funds. So, we have allocated in both,” said Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia outside the Assembly.

Another allotment of Rs 142 crore was for marshals in Delhi’s public buses.

Bus rides will be free for women in Delhi’s government buses from October 29, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on August 15. The proposal, however, awaits approval of the Delhi cabinet, which Kejriwal heads. Senior government officials said it is likely to be approved soon.

In June, the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi had approved a proposal on free rides for women in buses and metro. While the decision on buses – both under DTC and cluster services run by concessionaires – comes entirely under the jurisdiction of the Delhi government, in Delhi Metro the Centre is an equal stakeholder.

When it comes to implementation of the scheme in the metro, there are multiple things in play, senior government officials said. They further said, in June, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had sent a report to the Delhi government largely elaborating on the potential budget and raising several red flags on the scheme’s implementation. Once Delhi government sends another detailed report to the DMRC, the proposal will be sent to a fare fixation committee.