Bengaluru, Feb 5 (NationPress) The BJP National Youth President and MP for Bengaluru South, Tejasvi Surya, met with the Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar, on Thursday. During this meeting, he presented a memorandum that criticized the fare hike imposed by the Congress-led Karnataka government on Bengaluru Metro. Surya is advocating for the reformation of the Fare Fixation Committee overseeing the city's Metro system.

In a social media post, Surya expressed, “The Congress-led government in Karnataka has enforced a significant Metro fare increase starting February 9, disregarding public dissent and adding financial strain on commuters.”

“I met with Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today to inform him about this issue and urged the reconstitution of the Fare Fixation Committee. I highlighted several discrepancies in the fare calculations presented to the Committee, including inaccuracies in the base year used, which have led to commuters being overcharged and the maximum fare escalating to Rs 95,” he disclosed.

“We cannot allow the state government to move forward with this erroneous fare adjustment. I asked that the annual fare increase be suspended and, if necessary, that a new Fare Fixation Committee be established to adjust fares in the public's interest,” Surya stated.

He further noted, “The Hon’ble Minister assured me that the matter would be taken into consideration.”

The memorandum indicated that the 2025 Fare Fixation Committee for Bengaluru Metro, which was formed under Section 34 of the Metro Railway Operations and Maintenance Act, 2002, recommended a fare increase starting February 9 for Namma Metro.

“This increase, allegedly calculated using the 2016 DMRC Fare Fixation Committee's formula, has led to an average fare rise of 50 percent and pushed the maximum fare up from Rs 60 to Rs 90. Consequently, Bengaluru Metro is now the priciest in the nation,” the memorandum noted.

However, a review of the Fare Fixation Committee report uncovers numerous mathematical mistakes in the revised fare calculations.

These discrepancies mainly stem from the incorrect selection of the base year, 2016-17, for operating cost calculations, straying from the established fare revision methodology.

Despite these issues being raised multiple times and discussed in meetings, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has yet to rectify these errors.

As a result, commuters are still being overcharged for their Metro rides, Surya remarked.

“I urge the formation of a new Fare Fixation Committee for Bengaluru Metro to amend these discrepancies and adjust the fares. I also ask that the annual increase be paused until a rational fare structure is established,” he reiterated.

On the same day, the BMRCL officially announced a five percent fare increase, which will take effect from February 9.

In a statement, the BMRCL emphasized that this modest annual adjustment aims to maintain financial viability and reliable service, preventing the necessity for large and abrupt fare hikes in the future.

“This approach allows fares to gradually align with inflation and operational costs, protecting commuters from sharp and infrequent increases,” they added.