Sir— This refers to the editorial “Losing the masses” (November 27). Yes, there has been some drop in the number of passengers availing Metro as a mode of travel in NCR ever since DMRC increased the recently. But having said that, it will not be right to say that it is an anti-people move. We need to see few more months' numbers to arrive on a judgement on whether the DMRC fare hike resulted in significant drop in riders or not. There is no doubt that the Metro remains the lifeline for the people living in NCR but it is also a commercial organisation. Since 2009, there has been only one hike, in May 2017, while operating costs have risen manifold. DMRC is a professional organisation which provides a world-class transportation service and it needs to make money to sustain this kind of service.
We as a society need to change our mindset and be ready to pay for world-class service and accept the fact that nothing comes free. Moreover, if we compare the fare before October 10 and now, it is indeed cheaper for maximum distance slots for the people who hold smart cards. We need to see the larger picture here.