Confusion reigns at Gurgaon stations over revised Metro fares

Several Metro riders who were carrying limited cash had trouble reaching their destinations

On a day the revised Metro fares came into effect, confusion reigned supreme at Gurgaon Metro stations, as several tube riders weren’t aware of the new fares and were utterly surprised when informed about the same.

Commuters line up for tickets outside the Huda City Centre Metro station on Tuesday. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Several commuters, who take the Metro on a regular basis and carry a limited amount of cash — the amount they paid for earlier trips — were stranded at the stations not knowing how to reach their destinations.

A sizeable workforce, including construction workers, carpenters and metallurgists, come from Sonepat, Panipat and areas near the Uttar Pradesh border and use the Metro service for the commute to townships, currently under various stages of development, in the Gurgaon-Manesar corridor.

Several workers, who board the tube from the Huda City Centre Metro station, were caught unawares and had to pool money to reach their destination.

“The uncle of one of our colleagues runs a taxi service near Jhandewalan and agreed to ferry us to Sonepat for free. Normally, we take the Metro till Jhangirpuri and take a bus from there to reach our houses,” Suresh, a mason at an under construction hospital in Manesar said.

“Few pavements were being given a fresh lick of paint near the Metro station and I volunteered to lend a hand. They (employers) paid me ₹50 for three hours of labour, which was enough for me to reach Loni,” Akash Shukla, a painter from Ghaziabad, said.

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On September 30, citing ‘input costs’ and the need ‘to keep providing world class service’, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) revised fares, barely five months after the previous hike.

The revised fares are ₹10 for up to 2 km, ₹20 for 2 to 5km, ₹30 for 5 to 12 km, ₹40 for 12 to 21 km, ₹50 for 21 to 32 km and ₹60 for journeys exceeding 32 km.