Defending its plan to make 10 stations cashless, Delhi Metro on Saturday said the plan would not strip commuters of the choice of paying in cash as cash will come in use soon be roped in to provide multiple options to passengers.
The statement came after the Delhi Metro Railway Coorperation faced backlash on social media over the plan announced on Friday. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal retweeted posts on Twitter, criticising the move. One particular post by columnist Pradeep Magazine, “Buy tickets only thru PayTm in 10 Delhi metro stations. Isn’t this illegal. Giving no choice. Going cashless by force”, made rounds on the microblogging website.
“Regarding Cashless transactions at 10 stations through PayTm only, it is to mention that PayTm is only one of the methods available in DMRC for facilitating such transactions and not the only method. “Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) and POS (point of sale) machines are also available at these stations where a passenger can easily get his transaction done in cash/ credit/debit card,” the statement said.
In response to allegation that the decision would benefit Paytm, metro said the process to rope in other such players (EWallet) is underway and very soon other agencies will also be there to facilitate cashless transactions.
“Since DMRC at present has ongoing agreement with PayTm only that bagged the contract through open tender process for encouraging cashless smart card top up so the company was a natural choice for cashless transactions at 10 stations,” it said. The stations where the measure will be rolled out are Rohini East and Rohini West on Red line; MG Road Station on Yellow line; Mayur Vihar Phase-I, Nirman Vihar, Tilak Nagar, Janakpuri West, and Noida Sector-15 on Blue line; and Nehru Place and Kailash Colony on Violet line. “These stations have 70 per cent or more smartcard users, as a result of which cash transactions here are moderate in comparison to other stations and have adequate mobile connectivity as well,” an official had said.