BENGALURU : An online petition started by a student against the increase in minimum balance required on the Metro smart card has gathered momentum. Aman Mehta, a student of chartered accountancy, started the petition on change.org one week ago, to oppose the hike in minimum balance from Rs 8 to Rs 50. The petition has so far been signed by over 2,400 commuters.
The decision to hike the sum, taken by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) on March 27,
drew the ire of several commuters who called it ‘anti-poor’. Citizens and activists also staged a protest at Town Hall a few days after Namma Metro made the announcement. Majority of the population hit by the move comprises students.
“Even if I have Rs 49 in my smart card, which is sufficient for travelling short distances, I cannot travel,” said Mehta. “Public transport is supposed to be people-friendly. This amount is not even refundable,” the 22-year-old student added, pointing out that though `50 by itself may seem a small amount, BMRCL, with its ridership of around 4.5 lakh per day, would be able to generate a huge amount from the general public anyway.
“Tomorrow, they may hike it to `100 without giving any explanation. They should not try to make profits when the service is meant for the middle class,” said Mehta, a regular commuter.The petition, addressed to BMRCL and Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, urges them to revoke the decision. It says, “This petition is also an appeal to stop such practices and create a system to obtain mutual acceptance of users for all such new policies.”
Another commuter Deepak Jujare travels on the Green Line every day. “If I have Rs 45 or so, it is enough for travelling between nearby stations. But now I have to waste time recharging it to the revised minimum balance. Students cannot afford to shell out so much for public transport,” he said.BMRCL PRO Yashwant Chavan told CE, “The decision announced on March 27 stands as of today. We have not made any other plans regarding the withdrawal of the revised minimum balance for the smart card.”