BJP MP Tejasvi Surya finds flaw in Bengaluru Metro fare fixation
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Tuesday raised concerns regarding the 'exorbitant' fare hike by the BMRCL.
The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) had hiked the fare in February by almost 125 per cent and revised it after receiving a severe backlash a week after the increase. Yet, many commuters had been complaining that the hike was still high.
Surya, who represents Bengaluru South constituency, pointed out 'a major calculation error' in determining the base year for maintenance and administrative costs, which forms the foundation of the Fare Fixation Committee’s report.
"Instead of considering the Maintenance and Administration cost of 2017-18, the BMRCL, while requesting for the hike before the FFC, calculated the M&A Cost pertaining to 2016-17," Surya said in a statement.
This incorrect computation has led to an unjustified increase in fares, resulting in commuters paying an estimated Rs 150 crore in excess since the fare revision, he claimed.
"Even though the average fare increase remained 51.5 per cent, the most common journeys undertaken by commuters (falling in the 8-15 km slab) have seen an unjustified hike close to 70 per cent," the MP stated.
He added that the same journeys in the Metros of Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Nagpur cost approximately half the ticket price of Bengaluru Metro.
The MP urged BMRCL to immediately rectify the anomalies in the fare fixation and ensure that commuters are not burdened by flawed calculations.
He also sought a detailed clarification from BMRCL on how the 'error' occurred and whether any corrective measures have been initiated.
According to him, BMRCL officials have assured him that a formal response on the issue will be shared shortly.
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
