The dip in Metro ridership following the second phase of the fare hike has resulted in a political slugfest in the capital. While the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) blamed each other for the hike, the Congress said both the Centre and the state government were to blame. After an RTI query revealed the fall in ridership, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted: “That many passengers have taken to other means of transport, thus increasing pollution and congestion on roads. Metro fare hike has not benefited anyone.” AAP Delhi convener Gopal Rai also said the fares were hiked without taking into account the impact it would have on people. The Delhi BJP, meanwhile, said the Delhi government was playing politics over the issue. “We had been opposing the hike in Metro fare. Metro officials, the state government and even the Centre should understand that the Metro serves a larger purpose and it cannot be considered a money-minting business. If 3 lakh riders have stopped taking the Metro, it is not that they have stopped traveling. They are using other forms of transport — private vehicles or taxis — and this has increased vehicular traffic,” Praveen Shankar Kapoor, media in charge, Delhi BJP, said. “However, the Kejriwal government cannot escape the blame for the fare hike as it is also a stakeholder in the Delhi Metro,” he said. Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Puri had justified the hike, saying the Metro should not be pushed into becoming a “loss-making body” like the Delhi Transport Corporation. Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken tweeted, “The fare hike results in a daily drop of 3 lakh passengers. Both the Centre and Delhi government are responsible.”
