Fare hikes help run Metro efficiently: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri

Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri today justified fare hikes in Metro Rail services.
Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy takes a ride with Union MoS Hardeep Singh Puri, DCM Parameshwara and KJ George in Bengaluru on Friday| Nagaraja Gadekal
Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy takes a ride with Union MoS Hardeep Singh Puri, DCM Parameshwara and KJ George in Bengaluru on Friday| Nagaraja Gadekal

BENGALURU:Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri today justified fare hikes in Metro Rail services and said it would contribute to a safe and efficient public transportation system.

Delivering the inaugural speech at a function at Kempe Gowda Metro station to mark the launch of the City’s first six-car Metro coach, Puri said that the Metro services in India had are world-class assets.
Referring to the Delhi Metro which covers 280 km and is the fourth largest in the world, Puri said, “Opposition and partisan politics... Chief Minister (Arvind Kejriwal) had suggested that Metro should either be free or there should be no fare hike in Metro services. The choice is between having a first class, world-class asset and something that seems to be in a shambles.”Puri said that ridership on Bangalore Metro would go up by 2 lakh more commuters    .

‘20 lakh commuters when Phase-II complete’

Deputy Home Minister G Parmeshwara said that Metro ridership would touch nearly 20 lakh commuters per day when Phase-II is fully completed.Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s speech had many slips: he spoke of four Phases of Metro and the impact it would have on the City though only a plan for up to Phase-III has been conceived so far. The CM also said 250 km of Metro tracks will be ready by 2021, while only 119 km of Metro line including entire Phase-II and the new K R Puram-Silk Board line and the Nagawara to Kempe Gowda airport line are being targeted for completion by then.

BMRCL Managing Director Mahendra Jain said that though the six-car set was handed over in February by BEML, it took three months to start the first run since the train had to be subjected to intensive tests.

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