Bengaluru metro fare hike put on hold after political row

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on Sunday said it has put on hold the implementation of the annual fare revision, which was scheduled to come into effect from February 9.

In a statement, the BMRCL said the earlier announcement regarding the fare revision would not be implemented until further orders, indicating that a final decision is still pending. Clarifying its position, BMRCL said, “The media release dated February 5 announcing the implementation of the annual fare revision with effect from February 9 has been kept on hold till further orders.” The corporation added that the matter would be taken up by its board before any final decision is made.” The decision on the revised fare will be communicated after the board’s review,” the release added. Earlier in the day, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya spoke to commuters to gauge their views.

Later, he told reporters that they were upset over frequent fare revisions and accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar of “misleading the public by blaming the Centre” for the hike.