Bengaluru, 15 Jan

Citizens said that any fare hike to Bengaluru’s Namma Metro would penalise already burdened daily commuters. The Fare Fixation Committee (FCC) had earlier proposed that the Metro fares can be hiked annually by up to 5 per cent.

However, the Save Bangalore Committee (SBC) and the Bengaluru Metro Commuters' Association (BMCA) opposed the announcement, and noted in a joint statement on Thursday that this comes barely a year after the massive 71 per cent fare hike. Notably, the City’s Metro is one of the most expensive in the country.

The Metro administration justified the proposed hike by saying that it was bound by the FFC recommendation and Section 33 of the Metro Rail Act, 2002. However, the SBC and the BMCA said that the recommendation is not a mandatory hike but an advisory.

“The Metro administration's defence… is a legally convenient but morally bankrupt excuse,” they stated.

“This (proposed) hike represents a failure of governance and imagination,” they added. “Instead of seeking innovative, non-burdening revenue models such as enhanced commercial exploitation of metro property or operational efficiencies the administration chooses the easiest path: digging deeper into the pockets of its riders.”

Claiming that the hike would betray public trust, the statement said it would come at a time “when citizens are grappling with persistent inflation and economic strain”.

The SBC and BMCA demanded that the Metro fares were not hiked and vowed to fight it legally and mobilise public opinion.

“The Metro must remain an affordable lifeline,” they wrote.