Reconsider involving Metro fare panel in free ride move, Kejriwal tells DMRC

The CM conveyed this to DMRC managing director Mangu Singh and other Metro officials in a meeting held on Tuesday morning.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to reconsider its view on involving the fare fixation committee (FFC) in its proposal to offer free rides to women in Delhi-NCR.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to reconsider its view on involving the fare fixation committee (FFC) in its proposal to offer free rides to women in Delhi-NCR. (HT Photo)

The CM conveyed this to DMRC managing director Mangu Singh and other Metro officials in a meeting held on Tuesday morning.

Reiterating its stand that the FFC’s approval was not necessary as the scheme does not require increasing or decreasing Metro fares, the Delhi government questioned why the DMRC did not recommend the FFC’s approval when the Centre had proposed concessions for senior citizens and students in the Metro last year.

“The DMRC will look into the matter now. It acknowledged that getting FFC’s approval was not recommended for the Centre’s proposal. The Metro has even started work towards Centre’s proposal and floated tenders for works amounting to about ₹20 crore,” a government official said on condition of anonymity.

However another official said the DMRC clarified that it started work on Centre’s proposal “in anticipation” of an approval. The DMRC had maintained the same in its proposal on the free-travel for women scheme.

“Anticipating this requirement by the FFC in future, DMRC has already processed for modification/alteration and addition to the fare collection system where non-transferable smartcard shall be issued and the genuineness of the beneficiary while taking benefit shall be controlled by technology,” reads DMRC’s report.

Following the steep hike in Metro fares in 2017, union minister for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri had last year asked the DMRC to introduce “a technology-based solution” to give fare concessions to senior citizens and students. By February this year, the DMRC said it would install biometric based ticketing system to offer such concessions. This system is to be integrated with the existing automatic fare collection (AFC) gates at the stations.