New Delhi: A government-appointed panel to suggest fare revision in Delhi Metro recently sent a proposal to the urban development ministry to visit Hong Kong, Taipei and Tokyo to learn how the Metro rail systems in these cities go about revising their fares.
Though the ministry is yet to decide on the proposal, Panel chief Justice M L Mehta said it would first examine various presentations on Metro rail systems. “No decision has been taken yet. We may reconsider the proposal to visit any of the cities. We have taken presentations of many of the Metro rail systems. Once we go through all of them, there may not be need to visit any city abroad,” Justice Mehta told TOI.
He said the earlier panel set up in 2009 for the same purpose had visited these cities. Sources said the present fourth Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) may have followed the earlier practice to make such a suggestion.
The other two members in the committee are urban development ministry additional secretary Durga Shanker Mishra and Delhi chief secretary K K Sharma. Justice Mehta said the committee will complete the task in less than three months, the time given to them for fare revision. “We have held three meetings. Our report will be submitted to the government as soon as we are through,” he added.
Fares were last revised in 2009 when the minimum fare was raised from Rs 6 to Rs 8, while the maximum fare was hiked to Rs 30 from Rs 22.
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has demanded that fares be hiked in view of increase in electricity tariff. According to data provided by the ministry, DMRC registered a net loss before tax of Rs 275.46 crore in 2014-15, a huge increase of 353 per cent from Rs 60.74 crore in 2013-14.
Source: TOI
