The Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath on Tuesday said the ministry will seek the advice and guidance of an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on issues related to the Delhi Airport Metro line. He said his ministry would approach the EgoM,in the next two to three weeks. The original operator of the Airport Metro Express Line,Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Limited (DAMEPL),had earlier pulled out of the project. The DMRC had then taken over the operations. However,the question as to who would pay the estimated Rs 2,000-crore debt,which the airport line has incurred,and other aspects remain to be decided. The DMRC had to bear the brunt of a 40 per cent increase in fuel costs in the last one year alone due to hike in electricity tariff in Delhi and has been demanding a fare revision for over a year now. With Assembly elections slated for later this year,sources said no hike was likely any time soon. A fare fixation committee,after it is formed,will take at least three months to submit its report. This has been the norm for the earlier three committees also, a UD ministry official said. An automatic fare revision formula will ensure that passenger fares go up in sync with costs and reduce political interference in fare-setting. While the DMRCs earnings have gone up by 15-17 per cent in the last one year,it has primarily been due to an increase in ridership,Singh said.
