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A day after BMRCL announced an increase in Metro fares for the second year in a row, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he would raise the issue with the Central government. He asked the Centre to review and rationalise the fares, considering daily commuters, students, and low-income groups, while also ensuring the Metro remains financially stable.
Distinctive Opinions Regarding Metro Fare Hike
On Friday, the CM posted on X using the hashtag #RollBackMetroFare, saying the Karnataka government had no role in deciding Metro fares. He said he understood the anger and worry of commuters but stressed that the public should know the facts. According to him, Metro fares are not fixed by the state government. Under the Metro Railways (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002, fares are decided by an independent fare fixation committee formed by the Government of India. The law makes the committee's recommendations compulsory, and neither the state government nor BMRCL has the power to change them. Therefore, he said, blaming the Karnataka government was wrong and misleading.
Siddaramaiah also criticised BJP leaders, saying they failed to protect Karnataka's interests in Delhi and were now creating drama in Bengaluru. He questioned why BJP MPs did not raise the issue in Parliament. He claimed the fare hike was part of a broader pattern of the Centre unfairly treating Karnataka through reduced tax shares, fewer grants, delays in infrastructure support, and now higher Metro fares.
In response, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya said MPs had already written to the Centre asking for a fare reduction. He challenged the CM and Deputy CM to write to the Union government, promising that MPs would then work to get fares reduced. Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan questioned how fares were reduced last year and said the CM must take responsibility now, too.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) warned of protests and launched a signature campaign, saying the hike hurts the public and offers no concessions for students or senior citizens. Pro-Kannada groups also protested, while commuters criticised all parties for blaming each other instead of solving the problem.
