Manish Sisodia says metro fare hike to benefit private cab firms

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia. (File Photo)

The Delhi Assembly Monday passed a resolution to oppose the proposed Metro fare hike, with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia reiterating the allegation that the move was a “conspiracy” to benefit private cab operators.
He alleged, “Conspiracy is being hatched so that Ola and Uber are benefited. This is being deliberately done so that the fares of Metro are more than that of taxis of private companies.”

While Ola refused to comment, an Uber spokesperson said, “We will continue to engage with the transport department, DMRC, Delhi government… to ensure we can contribute to decongesting Delhi.”

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The resolution was moved by Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot and passed by a voice vote in the House. It said, “The DMRC has once again proposed to steeply hike the fare with effect from October 10, 2017, against the wishes of the GNCT and is in gross violation of the recommendations of the Fare Fixation Committee.”

It urged “stakeholders” and the “government of India to take into consideration pro-people concerns raised by GNCT” and urged “Ministry of Urban Development… to intervene so that the hike is reversed.”

Citing the resolution, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel wrote to Hardeep Singh Puri, MoS, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and requested him to “withold the proposed hike.” Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, without referring to the Centre, alleged that there was a concerted effort to make the Delhi Metro a “premium public transport” — an effort AAP wouldn’t allow.

Sisodia’s contention was that if Metro fares were too expensive, commuters would shift to private cabs, resulting in air pollution increasing exponentially.