Delhi women will have to wait for some more time, as the plan for the AAP government to let women passengers use the Delhi Metro for free will take eight months more as it needs to be cleared by the committee.
The Delhi Metro has sent a report on free rides to women to the AAP government, seeking at least eight months' time to make necessary preparations, including seeking approval from the fare-fixation committee, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Wednesday. He said the report received by his government from Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has cited an annual requirement of Rs 1566.64 crore to fund the fare exemption. Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said the fare fixation committee's approval was just a "formality" and rejected the apprehension that it could be a "roadblock" before his government's ambitious scheme.
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal addressed these concerns on Wednesday, saying the fare fixation committee’s (FFC) approval was “a mere procedural step” and that the administration was confident that the roll-out could happen in as soon as two-three months. “The proposal going through the FFC is just a formality. The committee analyses ways of increasing revenue for the DMRC. In addition to women, DMRC will benefit the most from this scheme as the Delhi government will ensure a constant source of revenue for them. It is a profitable proposition as Delhi Metro’s ridership will significantly increase,” Kejriwal told the Hindustan Times.
The Delhi Metro, in its report, gave two options for the implementation of the scheme. Under one, pink tokens will be given to women and it will take eight months to implement. Under the other, tokens and cards will be provided, but this option will take at least one year to implement, he said. The chief minister said his government will talk to the DMRC to implement the scheme in under eight months. The proposal of the AAP government to exempt women from fare in public transport buses and metro trains is being seen as a major sop before the assembly polls due early 2020. The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) which runs around 3,900 buses has already submitted its proposal. The government will provide subsidy to the public transporters under the proposed scheme.
