A fair hike or not? Delhi speaks its mind

The Capital's most preferred mode of travel just got expensive. Taking a cue from the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and adding to the displeasure of daily commuters, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has decided to increase fare for its services, reports Jatin Anand.

The Capital's most preferred mode of travel just got expensive. Taking a cue from the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and adding to the displeasure of daily commuters, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has decided to increase fare for its services.

The hike, which becomes effective Friday morning, comes barely a week after the DTC increased fares on buses.

While the DMRC's basic fare has been increased from Rs 6 to Rs 8, the maximum fare has seen an increase of Rs 8 from Rs 22 to Rs 30.

"This is certainly not the right time to increase the fare," said Kanchan Lakhoria (30), an MNC executive. "With the prices of everything, from milk to electricity, shooting through the roof, the DMRC should have waited for sometime for the common man's budget to stabilise."

Ashok Singh (42), a businessman said: "The only people whom this hike won't affect are the rich and the government employees, thanks to the Sixth Pay Commission. But as far as the common man like me is concerned, the government seems determined to milk us dry."

Justifying the fare hike, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said agencies like the DTC and DMRC needed to increase fare in order to offer better services to the people of Delhi.

Palak Malik (22), a student of Jamia Millia Islamia University said: “I think the fare hike will help filter the crowd.”

“The metro allows women like me the flexibility of time that autos and buses don’t give. So what’s wrong with a minor increase in prices,” she said.