Tejasvi Surya raises concern over Namma Metro fare hike, alleges ₹150 crore calculation error
Bengaluru: Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya has questioned the recent Namma Metro fare hike, alleging that commuters may have been overcharged by nearly ₹150 crore due to a calculation error by the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL).
Speaking at a review meeting on Tuesday, Surya said BMRCL used incorrect base year data while submitting expenditure figures to the Fare Fixation Committee. According to a report by Hindustan Times, he claimed that the corporation relied on financial data from 2016–17 instead of 2017–18, leading to inflated operational and maintenance cost estimates.
“This incorrect computation has resulted in an unjustified increase in fares,” Surya said, urging officials to rectify the error and issue a clarification at the earliest.
The MP also compared Bengaluru’s metro fares with other major cities, noting that a 20–25 km ride in Bengaluru costs ₹80, while a 32 km journey in Delhi costs ₹64. Similarly, Mumbai’s 12–18 km route costs ₹30, whereas Bengaluru commuters pay ₹60 for 10–15 km. He pointed out that while Mumbai’s maximum fare is ₹70, Bengaluru charges ₹90 for distances beyond 25 km.
“Metro fares in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Nagpur are 25–50 per cent lower than Bengaluru’s,” Surya said, adding that although the overall fare revision was announced as 51.5 per cent, the most commonly used distance slabs (8–15 km) have witnessed hikes of nearly 70 per cent, burdening daily commuters.
BMRCL officials, according to reports, have assured that a formal clarification will be issued soon.
“Public transport must remain affordable and accountable. Such lapses erode public confidence in urban mobility systems like Namma Metro,” Surya said.
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Pak, Afghan forces trade fire along Chaman border: Report
Islamabad (PTI): A heavy exchange of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces was reported from the key Chaman border, according to a media report on Saturday.
Injuries were reported from the district hospital, but no fatalities occurred, the Dawn newspaper reported.
Officials from both sides accused each other of instigating the flare-up late on Friday night across the border in the Balochistan province.
While Pakistani officials said that Afghan forces had fired mortar shells on the Badani area, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed it was Pakistan that launched an attack on Spin Boldak, alleging that their forces were responding.
Pakistan's official sources told Dawn that Pakistani forces retaliated against the Afghan aggression and returned fire.
There were also reports of fighting on the Chaman-Kandahar highway, but these could not be immediately verified.
A senior official in Quetta confirmed on condition of anonymity that the exchange of fire started around 10 pm and continued until late at night.
The medical superintendent of Chaman district hospital said that three injured, including a woman, were brought to the medical facility.
There was neither any official word from the Inter-Services Public Relations -- Pakistan Army's media wing -- nor from the Foreign Office.
The Chaman border crossing, also known as Friendship Gate, connects Balochistan province to Afghanistan’s Kandahar.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated amidst regular allegations by Pakistan regarding the failure of the Afghan regime to deny safe havens to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorists.
The two countries had agreed on a ceasefire following tensions last month, but the Foreign Office said last month that technically there was no truce as it was contingent on the Afghan Taliban stopping terrorist attacks in Pakistan, which they had failed to do.
