Congress blasts AAP, BJP for ‘street fight’ over metro fare hike

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party is vociferously opposing the proposed fare hike scheduled to come into effect from Tuesday. (File photo)

The Congress today hit out at the BJP and AAP accusing them of indulging in “street fight” over the proposed metro fare hike and said the “tussle” would “destroy” the Delhi Metro. Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken said the party will launch ‘Stop Politics, Save Metro’ campaign against the “street fight” between the BJP and AAP.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party is vociferously opposing the proposed fare hike scheduled to come into effect from Tuesday. Union Minister of State for Urban Development Hardeep Singh Puri had supported the fare hike saying the Delhi Metro will turn into DTC (Delhi Transport Corporation) if the token prices were not increased.

Maken said, “This street fight between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Union Urban Development minister Hardeep Singh Puri will scare away the JBIC (Japanese Loan Agency), which provides loan for the construction of the new phases of the metro.” The “fight” between the Delhi government and the Center is going to put a big question mark on the future of the Phase-IV of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Maken said.

“The tussle will will destroy the Delhi Metro,” he said. Maken, a former Union Urban Development minister as well as Delhi Transport minister, wondered what took the Delhi chief minister to woke up to the fare hike. “I had signalled the possible fare hik way back in May. What took is so long for Kejriwal to wake up and raise the issue now, despite the fact that his chief secretary was a member of Metro’s fare fixation committee,” he said.

He also said that Puri’s demand of Rs 3,000 crore from the Delhi government if it wants the fares not raised is “far fetched and away from reality”. “I am amazed to know that the Union Urban Development Minister has demanded Rs 3,000 crore from the Delhi government to stop the metro fare hike and also at Kejriwal’s response that he’s going to pay half of it. It shows both did not do their home work.”

Citing figures, he claimed that the total impact of the fare hike will be to the tune of Rs 800 crore per annum.