The fate of 'Free Ride Scheme' for woman in buses and Metro which was set to be decided on Monday by the Delhi Government and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) could not arrive on to a concrete and actionable plan. Following which, the Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Manish Sisodia will conduct a meeting again with DMRC on Tuesday.
The Government has also extended the date of suggestion and feedback for another 15 days from June 15. The public now can send their suggestions and feedback on the free ride scheme till June 30.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in last week on 3rd June, had proposed a plan to allow free travel for female passengers in the metro and the DTC buses and asked the DMRC to prepare a plan within week to implement the scheme by next 2-3 months.
"A meeting was held between the Government and Delhi Metro but a concrete plan did not came out of it, following which a meeting has been called by the Government on Tuesday and the meeting will be taken by Finance Minister Sisodia," said a transport official.
Another official said, "The Delhi Government has 50 per cent share in Delhi Metro. The scheme can be implemented in such a short time as making public transport completely free is a big revenue loss but if the Government is ready to bear the subsidy and total cost, it may be possible," said an official on the condition of anonymity.
"There will be many hurdles as its implementation is not easy. Even if the DMRC l finds ways to do it, it will take time in being implemented as it is a long drwan process."
"Since the Central Government have 50 per cent stake in the Delhi Metro, the Delhi Government will have to first send the proposal to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) Anil Baijal for approval."
As per the sources, the Government will also need to seek permission from the other departments and agencies involved such as the finance department, LG's office and Union Housing and Urban Development Affairs Ministry. "There is fixation committee of the DMRC, which is quasi, judicial, and it will have to look into whether there is a role for the committee in this scheme," said sources.
Kejriwal during the announcement of the project had then said, "If the Centre did not pay heed to our objections against the fare hike. In this case, we will bear the burden. If the scheme is implemented by the month of August-September.