In a step aimed at wooing women commuters to use buses of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and Delhi Metro trains, Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government is mulling to make metro and bus travels free for women in the National Capital.’
“The Government is considering to waive fare for women in DTC buses and Delhi Metro to encourage them to use public transport in view of their safety. An announcement in this regard will be made on June 3,” said Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Chief Minister at a public meeting in New Delhi.
The Chief Minister also said that his government is in touch with city’s power regulator to bring down fixed charge component of electricity bill.
When asked about the proposed plan of the Delhi Government, a senior official said that Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot has already held meetings to discuss various aspects of fare-waiver to women in all public transport buses run by DTC and DIMTS- and Delhi metro.
However there are impediments in launching this scheme as women and girls would find it tough to travel in Metro trains there are issued involved into. Allowing free travel in Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and cluster buses run by the Delhi Integrated Multi Modal System (DIMTS) may not be difficult, it will be “challenging” to do so in Metro trains.
The Delhi Government and the Centre are 50:50 equity partners in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. An official pointed out that the Delhi Government and the centre’s Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry have not been on the same page over several issues related to metro, including fare hike and Phase-IV of the Metro network.
“Besides other factors like technical and financial feasibility of such a move, the persisting disagreements between the two sides may also play a crucial role in going ahead with the proposal for giving free ride to women in Metro trains,” said a senior official.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal also claimed that the fixed charge component of power tariff were raised by the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Authority (DERC) last year “without consulting” the Delhi Government.
“Next month new tariff is to be fixed. We have asked the DERC to bring back fixed charges to previous levels and they are likely to agree to it,” he said.
The monthly fixed charges were raised for domestic consumers having up to 2 KW load from `20 to `125. The Delhi Government provides subsidy to such consumers. However, in other categories, consumers pay higher fixed charges.
The hike in fixed charges for other slabs were — for 2-5 kw, from `35 to `140; 5-15 KW, `45 to `175; 15-25 kw, from Rs 60 to `200; and for more than 25 KW, from `100 to `250.
In the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls, the AAP won only one seat out of over 40 it contested in nine states and Union Territories. The poll results came as a jolt to the party as it builds up for the assembly elections in Delhi early next year.
Stung by the dismal performance, the AAP government swung into action just a day after the Model Code of Conduct was lifted with Chief Minister directing his ministers on May 27 to speed up work on flagship schemes like Mohalla Clinic, procurement of buses and the CCTV project.
Delhi AAP convenor and a minister in Kejriwal government, Gopal Rai dismissed suggestions that the LS poll results would have an impact on Delhi assembly elections, asserting there is no alternative to Kejriwal in the national Capital.