The fare hike announced by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Monday has yielded mixed reactions in the city with some favouring it while others questioned the very rationale behind the increase.
Riddhima Arora, a teacher in a private school at Modal Town, said, “What are they (Metro authorities) doingIJ Have you ever been at Kashmiri Gate or Mandi House stationsIJ You will have to wait for more than 15 minutes for trains to reach at and another five minutes to start your ride as the stoppage time is approximately five minutes on these stations and sometimes more than it.”
Parvez Malik, an engineer with a reputed private firm and a daily traveller from Delhi to Gurugram, said daily commutere, like him, will face the heat as the maximum fair would be up to Rs 60 after September.
“During office hours we are already travelling in metro like sardines, I shall have to shell out about 20 per cent of my salary on commuting as it is not only me who uses metro but my children too. Moreover, even after paying up, I will have to suffer the jampacked services of metro with one or the other line faulty at any given time . It is already difficult to support the family,” said Varinder Arora, an East Delhi resident.
“Delhi and the entire National Capital Region lack reliable public transport except metro and the hike announced by the DMRC will hit the my monthly budget. They should improve the public transport and make it more affordable rather than increasing fare,” said Ritesh Dewan, who lives in Northwest Delhi.
Manish Mani, Assistant Registrar with a university, said, “This is not a huge hike. The minimum fair is increased to Rs 10 from Rs 8 and maximum is Rs 50 and this is not such a matter of discussion as well. Metro should focus on improving its services but it is ridiculous to say that no one wants to pay for this.”
Chandan Singh, a final year student of Delhi University, said it was much needed. “The Delhi Metro is spreading its wings across and even beyond the city to provide public an opportunity to travel with comfort. Increasing the fare has become the necessity for the DMRC as till now it is the cheapest in the world. And how can you expect quality services without paying an appropriate amountIJ asked Singh.
“In such a hot summer if you have an option to travel with all the comfort, nothing could be better than this. The last fair was increased by the Delhi Metro in 2009 and if fare is being increased after a gap of almost seven years there should not have been any problem,” he said.
“I am a student of Delhi University and travel daily by metro to attend the classes or tutorials. Usually I spend Rs 19 for metro but if I prefer an auto then I will have to pay more than Rs 150 and even without air-condition,” said Avinash Kumar Chanchal, who lives in Uttam Nagar and a second year student of Ramjas collage.
Radhika Das, a 24-year-old woman, who takes the metro from Tilak Nagar to AIIMS, said, “Good that it’s increasing after so many years.. as earlier it was known as a cheapest mode and accessible to poorest of the poor. Now I think it will decrease probably.”
Shubomoy, a regular metro user said, “Yes some ridership will suffer in light of the price hike.”