Bengaluru metro fare revision deferred as BJP, JD(S) criticise state govt
Bengaluru (PTI): BMRCL on Sunday said it has put on hold the implementation of the annual fare revision, which was scheduled to come into effect from February 9.
In a statement, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited said the earlier announcement regarding the fare revision would not be implemented until further orders, indicating that a final decision is still pending.
Clarifying its position, BMRCL said, "The media release dated February 5 announcing the implementation of the annual fare revision with effect from February 9 has been kept on hold till further orders."
The corporation added that the matter would be taken up by its board before any final decision is made.
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"The decision on the revised fare will be communicated after the board’s review," the release added.
Earlier in the day, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya spoke to commuters to gauge their views.
Later, he told reporters that they were upset over frequent fare revisions and accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar of "misleading the public by blaming the Centre for the fare hike.
Surya also demanded the constitution of a Fare Fixation Committee (FFC).
On Saturday, he said that Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar had instructed officials to temporarily put the proposed metro fare hike on hold.
Surya added that the minister also assured a personal review of anomalies in the Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) and said a fresh committee could be considered if the state government requested it.
Meanwhile, Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries H D Kumaraswamy blamed the state government for the metro fare hike.
He alleged that despite the Centre asking the state government not to implement the hike, it was insisting on going ahead with it.
"After increasing metro fares, the state government is passing the buck to the Centre, which is untrue," the JD(S) second-in-command told reporters in Mysuru.
Kumaraswamy further charged that the state government was unwilling to maintain a good working relationship with the Centre for implementing central schemes and policies.
Reiterating its service commitment, BMRCL said it continues to prioritise commuters’ interests.
"BMRCL remains committed to providing safe, reliable, and affordable metro services to the citizens of Bengaluru," it said.
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Fire breaks out at Nature Bazaar in south Delhi, around 50 shops gutted
New Delhi (PTI): A major fire broke out at Nature Bazaar in south Delhi's Andheria Mor area on Sunday morning, gutting around 50 shops and triggering a massive firefighting operation, an official of the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said.
According to the DFS, a call regarding the blaze was received at 7.37 am, following which 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to control the flames. No injury to anyone has been reported so far.
The fire erupted at the Nature Bazaar market located near Andheria Mor in the Lado Sarai area, where several temporary and semi-permanent shops selling handicrafts and other items are set up, he said.
Thick plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the market complex as the fire rapidly spread through multiple shops in the crowded marketplace.
Firefighters launched an extensive operation to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading further.
Around 50 shops were gutted in the incident, causing heavy damage to goods and structures, the officer said.
Fire personnel were continuing efforts to completely douse the flames and carry out cooling operations in the area. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
Police officers also reached the spot to assist in crowd management and facilitate firefighting operations.
