Blame game on over Namma Metro fare hike

BENGALURU: The ongoing tussle between the state and central governments over the Namma Metro fare hike has left commuters in a difficult situation. The fare is set to increase by 5 per cent from February 9, and both governments are pointing fingers at each other, claiming the other is responsible for the hike.

The question on everyone’s mind is who is really responsible for the metro fare hike. The state government had a representative on the fare fixation committee and questions are being asked why they didn’t raise objections to the hike. Also, citizens are questioning the three MPs representing Bengaluru about what they done on this issue.

There’s a growing perception that the state government is being unfairly blamed for the hike, and that the central government is not doing enough to address the issue. Some are even questioning whether the state government is simply washing its hands of the matter and blaming the central government instead.

The reality is that once the fare fixation committee has made its decision, it’s difficult to revise the fares. The only way to reduce the fares would be to set up a new fare fixation committee. The committee has fixed a 5 per cent annual increase, and neither the BMRCL board nor the state government has intervened to stop it.

The BMRCL MD has informed the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister that the state government can’t intervene in the matter, and now the state is pointing fingers at the central government. Unless the Centre intervenes, the fare hike is likely to come into effect from Monday.