BENGALURU: Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya has moved the Karnataka High Court against the state government and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL), accusing them of “suppressing” the Metro Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) report that recommended a significant fare increase. Surya stated on Sunday that his writ petition is scheduled for hearing on Monday.
Calling the government’s actions “arbitrary and opaque”, Surya questioned the decision to keep the FFC report confidential. He criticised the committee for making broad recommendations and going on international study tours funded by taxpayers, while failing to ensure transparency. “Every other Metro system in the country, including Delhi, has made its FFC reports public. Why is Bengaluru the exception? What is the government trying to hide?” he asked.
He also noted that the fare hike has led to a significant drop in ridership, pushing Namma Metro into the ranks of the most expensive public transport systems in India. “This fare structure is unaffordable for many middle-class commuters,” Surya stated.
Taking a direct swipe at the Congress-led state government, the BJP MP demanded to know why Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is withholding the report despite no legal or security-related reasons for doing so. “Public transport must be affordable, reliable, and above all accountable to the public, who fund and use it,” Surya said.
He described his legal move as a battle for transparency and fairness in governance. “I will not rest until Namma Bengaluru becomes a model in public transport for all of India,” he concluded.
Even during the protest on Saturday against the delay in operataionalising the Yellow Line, Surya had demanded BMRCL to immediately release the FFC report as the public has the right to transparency and to know the rationale behind the fare hike.