Bengaluru metro fare to go up from Feb 9
Bengaluru (PTI): The Bengaluru metro on Thursday announced an annual automatic fare revision for Namma Metro, which will come into effect from February 9.
The hike is somewhere between four per cent and 10 per cent, ranging from Re 1 to Rs 5 based on the distance.
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) said that it is being implemented as per the First Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) constituted under the Metro Railways (Operation & Maintenance) Act, 2002.
The BMRCL, in a release, said the FFC, while recommending the revised fare structure, had observed that "revision of fare after 7.5 years and optimisation of fare zones from 29 to 10 has resulted in an average increase of 51.55 per cent."
To avoid such steep increases in the future, the committee recommended "to revise the fare annually by having a transparent Annual Automatic Fare Revision Formula linked with O&M cost or 5 per cent per annum, whichever is lower by rounding off to the nearest rupee."
It added that this mechanism helps with the introduction of a small annual fare revision.
"In keeping with the recommendations of the FFC, which is binding on BMRCL, it is hereby notified that an Annual Automatic Fare Revision will be implemented with effect from 9 February 2026," the corporation said.
Explaining the basis for the revision, BMRCL said, "Based on the Audited Financial Data for the financial year 2024-25 compared with base data of the financial year 2023-24, the formula-based index indicates a cost increase of 10.20 per cent, however, the fare revision has been restricted to only 5 per cent, in line with the FFC stipulation."
The corporation emphasised that commuter concessions would continue all existing commuter-friendly discounts for smart-card/NCMC users, including 5 per cent discount during peak hours, 10 per cent discount during non-peak hours, and 10 per cent discount on Sundays and on three designated National Holidays.
It added that the annual increase by 5 per cent shall also apply to Tourist Cards/Group Tickets.
Highlighting the rationale behind the decision, BMRCL said the annual revision is intended to ensure financial sustainability and service reliability, while avoiding the need for large and sudden fare increases in the future.
It further noted that the approach allows fares to move gradually in line with inflation and operating costs, thereby protecting commuters from sharp, infrequent hikes.
The BMRCL had drawn flak from various quarters last year when it effected a steep hike in fares.
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Explosive device kills 13, injures 38 on bus in southwestern Colombia as violence persists
Bogota (Colombia) (PTI): An explosive device killed 13 people travelling on a bus in southwestern Colombia on Saturday, an attack the country's army chief described as a “terrorist act" that also left at least 38 injured as violence linked to drug trafficking in the region escalates.
Octavio Guzman, the governor of the region of Cauca, said on X that the device was set off while the bus was travelling along the Panamerican Highway in the municipality of Cajibio. Five children were among the injured, Cauca Health Secretary Carolina Camargo told Noticias Caracol, a TV news program.
Gen. Hugo Lopez, commander of Colombia's Armed Forces, told a news conference that it was a “terrorist act" and blamed the network of a man known as “Ivan Mordisco” — one of Colombia's most wanted figures — and the Jaime Martínez faction. Both are dissidents of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that operate in the region.
Neither Ivan Mordisco nor the Jaime Martínez faction abide by the peace agreement signed with the state in 2016.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack on X.
“Those who carried out the attack and killed seven civilians — and wounded 17 others — in Cajibío — many of them Indigenous people — are terrorists, fascists, and drug traffickers,” he wrote.
The attack is the latest in a spate of explosions that have attempted to target public infrastructure. At least 26 incidents have taken place in the past two days in southwestern Colombia, which Lopez said have only affected civilians.
They included a shooting at a police station in the rural area of Jamundi, and an attack on a Civil Aviation radar facility in El Tambo, where authorities took down three explosives-laden drones earlier on Saturday. No one was hurt.
On Friday, two vehicles rigged with explosives were detonated near military units in Cali and Palmira, causing material damage.
The escalation of violence in that region — a territory contested by illegal armed groups linked to drug trafficking — prompted the mobilisation of high-ranking officials on Saturday. Led by Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez, the delegation that includes regional governors and local authorities, was meeting in Palmira when the deadly explosion occurred.
“These criminals seek to instil fear, but we will respond with firmness,” Sanchez said on X.
Meanwhile, Francisca Toro, governor of Valle del Cauca, has called upon the national government to provide “immediate support.” In a message on X, Toro called for a reinforcement of public security forces, enhanced intelligence operations and “decisive actions” against crime in the face of a “terrorist-level escalation.”
According to authorities, Cauca and Valle del Cauca serve as a critical hub for illicit activities of illegal armed groups vying for control over sea and river access routes leading to the port of Buenaventura — a key transit point used to traffic drugs to Central America and Europe.
The government has also offered a reward of more than 1 million dollars for information leading to the capture of “Marlon,” who is identified as the leader of the region's dissident group. On Friday, local authorities offered more than USD 14,000 for information leading to the identification and location of those behind the attacks in Cali and Palmira.
