Bengaluru Metro fare hike | Siddaramaiah slams BJP for blaming Karnataka govt

Amid growing opposition to the Bengaluru Metro fare hike, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday (February 11) flayed the BJP leaders, who are now opposing the move, for “spreading false and misleading information” over the issue.

In a statement issued by the CMO, Siddaramaiah said, “People have the right to question and oppose any government policy—this is their constitutional right, and I respect that.”

‘BJP spreading falsehood’

The chief minister, however, lashed out at the BJP for “deliberately spreading falsehoods for political gain and fuelling public outrage with misinformation”.

Also read: Bengaluru Metro fare hike put on hold by Centre: BJP MP Mohan

He said, “The same BJP leaders who take credit for Bengaluru Metro's expansion as the Centre's achievement are now shifting the blame onto the Karnataka Government when there is public anger over the fare hike. This is nothing but self-deception and hypocrisy.”

Siddaramaiah also clarified that Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is a joint venture between the Union and Karnataka governments, with equal partnership.

“BMRCL is an autonomous body, meaning the Karnataka Government does not have full control over its decisions. Like all other metro corporations in the country, BMRCL operates under the Metro Railways (Operations and Maintenance) Act, 2002, which is controlled by the Union Government,” he said.

Fares not revised since 2017

The chief minister also revealed that metro fares were not revised since 2017, and BMRCL itself wrote to the Union government requesting a revision. “If the Karnataka Government had the power to decide fares, why did BMRCL write to the Centre instead of the state government,” he wondered.

Responding to BMRCL's letter, the Union government constituted a Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) under Justice R Tharani (retd), former Madras High Court judge. This committee included representatives from both the Union and state governments. The committee submitted its final report after detailed discussions and assessments on December 16 last year.

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“Except for the Delhi Metro, the initial phase fares in all other states were determined by the respective state metro corporations. However, fare revisions are now decided by a committee appointed by the Union government. As per Section 37 of the Metro Railways (Operations and Maintenance) Act, metro corporations (in this case, BMRCL) are legally bound to implement the fare recommendations made by this committee,” he added.