Public feel Metro fares are high

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metro Rail service took off on the right note, but the fare is what people are worried about. The Hans India interacted with a cross-section of people across the 30-km stretch between Miyapur and Nagole and found that people were happy with the swanky metro but felt the fare was on the higher side. When the Hyderabad Metro Rail was first conceived, it was under the ambit of AP Tramways Act but in 2014, as per the Government of India, all metros had to follow the Central Metro Act which vested the power to decide the fare with the concessionaire.

In the case of Hyderabad Metro Rail project, the L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad Limited (L&TMRHL) the concessionaire can decide the fare. A senior official of L&T said that the fare has been decided after a lot of deliberations and discussions. “The rates are competitive and have been decided keeping in mind other metros in the country,” he said. The initial fare is fixed under the Metro Act, the Metro Rail Administration. For future fare, a Fare Fixation Committee would decide in case of an escalation. The moment, the State government agreed to enter the Metro Railways Act 2002, (Metro Act), it lost the power to decide the fare.

In the meanwhile, the delay in completing the project resulted in cost escalation, the concessionaire L&T raised funds to the tune of Rs 12,000 crore from 10 banks. G R S Prasad, convener, Metro Rail Commuters Association said, “There is no doubt about the quality of service provided, but the fare is high. “ Revathi, a commuter said, “I travelled from KPHB to Secunderabad which cost me Rs 40. If I took a bus I would have to pay only just Rs 17.” Another metro passenger, Ajay, a software professional said, “I had to pay Rs 24 for a short ride from Tarnaka to Nagole, this is way too high.”