logo
Bengaluru Metro failing its commuters? Tejasvi Surya slams BMRCL, cites global examples, and suggests major fixes

Bengaluru Metro failing its commuters? Tejasvi Surya slams BMRCL, cites global examples, and suggests major fixes

Time of India22-06-2025
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP
Tejasvi Surya
has openly criticised the
Bengaluru Metro
, calling out its design, pricing, and overall approach to public transport. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Surya said the metro system lacks ambition, aesthetics, and respect for commuters.
He shared a YouTube video titled Why Moscow Is Insanely Well Designed, urging the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to learn from international examples. 'Bengaluru Metro should learn the best from around the world,' he wrote.
Surya praised the Moscow Metro for its 80-second train frequency, beautiful station architecture, and efficient city coverage. 'Moscow Metro runs at 80-second frequency, covers the city with dense radial lines, costs a fraction, and every station is a work of art,' he said. 'Public transport isn't just about movement. It's about ambition, aesthetics, and respect for the commuter. But this sentiment is missing in Bengaluru.'
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Villa For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You
Villas in Dubai | Search ads
Learn More
Undo
He also raised concerns about transparency, particularly questioning why the fare fixation committee report hasn't been made public. 'I have reminded MD @OfficialBMRCL today to make public the fare fixation committee report. Why are you not making it public? It certainly isn't a document of national security,' Surya posted. 'We deserve to understand what led to such steep Metro prices.'
Calling for change, he stressed that public transport should be the cheapest and most efficient form of travel within cities. 'We need to push that,' he added, while sharing the video link.
Live Events
— Tejasvi_Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya)
BMRCL is a joint venture between the Karnataka and Central governments, with a 50-50 partnership. The organisation functions under the Metro Railways (Operations and Maintenance) Act, 2002. Srinivas Katikithala, Secretary of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, currently chairs the board, which includes both Central and state government officials.
Inputs from ANI
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Previous Delhi govts treated sanitation staff like slaves: Modi
Previous Delhi govts treated sanitation staff like slaves: Modi

Hindustan Times

timean hour ago

  • Hindustan Times

Previous Delhi govts treated sanitation staff like slaves: Modi

New Delhi PM Narendra Modi speaks at the inauguration of roadworks in Delhi. (HT Photo) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at the inauguration of key roadworks on Sunday, took aim at the opposition parties' claims of working for social justice by citing a provision in the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, which allowed jailing sanitation workers for a month if they failed to report to work without prior intimation. 'Today I am going to tell you that truth. In Delhi, there was a dangerous law in the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act. There was a clause that if a safai mitra (sanitation worker) skipped work without informing beforehand, he or she could be jailed for a month. Think about it, what did they think of safai karmacharis? You will put them in jail for a small mistake? They now talk big about social justice. They made and kept such laws. It is Modi who is removing these laws and repealing them,' he said. PM Modi alleged that 'those who dance with the Constitution on their heads' had 'trampled' the Constitution and 'betrayed' the sentiments of BR Ambedkar, by retaining oppressive laws for decades until he repealed them. The Prime Minister said that previous governments treated safai karamcharis like slaves. 'I am telling you the truth of how those who dance with the Constitution on their heads trampled the Constitution and betrayed Babasaheb Ambedkar. You will be shocked. It is Modi who is tirelessly finding and abolishing such unjust laws and this campaign continues relentlessly,' the PM said. An MCD official, on condition of anonymity, said that the DMC Act was passed in 1957 and many of its provisions have become archaic and outdated. 'A process of decriminalising various provisions of the Act is being undertaken. Many old and archaic provisions are being removed.' Last year, the MCD had asked all its departments to give suggestions on decriminalising the Act. The decision is being implemented in the direction of the Centre, aiming to reduce the sentence or imprisonment period for various violations. According to the DMC Act, defaulters are expected to face imprisonment for violations in many cases, such as tax payment, obtaining licences from the public health department, illegal construction or encroachments, and violation of advertisement norms (including placing illegal advertisements). 'Though there are barely any instances where we are using the imprisonment conditions, these sections no longer make sense,' the official said. Reacting to the PM Modi's inauguration event, Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav said, 'BJP issued an order to fill the empty seats in the PM's rally. The level of BJP has dropped so much that now they are taking advantage of the helplessness of government employees to hide its failure.' Even as the AAP and Congress alleged that sanitation workers and teachers were ordered to attend the rally, MCD officially maintained that no official order was issued to workers in this regard.

A case for judicial introspection
A case for judicial introspection

The Hindu

time5 hours ago

  • The Hindu

A case for judicial introspection

At least a few from the ruling dispensation have asked why the Opposition is not formally taking up the electoral roll issue before the Supreme Court. However, the reluctance shown by the major Opposition parties is quite reasonable and even justifiable. The Modi regime promulgated the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act in 2023 with a view to nullify the Constitution Bench judgment in Anoop Baranwal v. Union of India (2023). The Act excluded the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and included a Cabinet Minister to be nominated by the Prime Minister in his place, as part of the Selection Committee for choosing the Election Commission of India (ECI). This statute was legally challenged in several writ petitions which are yet to be finally heard. Significantly, the petitioners also sought a stay of the enactment. A Bench, led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna (as he then was), heard the application for a stay and rejected it on March 22, 2024, by a detailed order in Dr. Jaya Thakur and others v. Union of India (2024). Had the statute been stayed, the country could have had a different umpire for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the subsequent Assembly elections. In all probability, a more independent ECI could have had the potential to conduct the elections more fairly and impartially. That this did not happen shows the Supreme Court's failure to act at a time when it was supposed to. Also read: What are the challenges confronting the EC? | Explained The present type of ECI In Anoop Baranwal, the Constitution Bench analysed Article 324 of the Constitution dealing with the appointment of Election Commissioners. It spoke of the need to take the appointment 'out of the exclusive hands of the executive'. It said that 'a pliable ECI, an unfair and biased overseer of the foundational exercise of adult franchise, which lies at the heart of democracy, who obliges the powers that be, perhaps offers the surest gateway to acquisition and retention of power'. The Court was assertive when it said that 'the outpouring of demands for an impartial mode of appointment of the members require, at the least, the banishing of the impression that the ECI is appointed by less than fair means'. This shows the rationale behind prescribing the CJI as a member of the Selection Committee for the ECI. Yet, a few months later, the Centre ensured that only 'persons under the thumb of the executive', as feared by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, dominate the Selection Committee. When this was shown to the Supreme Court, it took a very conservative and dangerous stand, saying it won't interfere with a statute for it carries a 'presumption of validity'. This is how the present type of ECI was allowed to function. At a time when majoritarianism often rests on electoral frauds, courts across the world face newer challenges, both jurisprudential and political. In a paper titled 'Abusive Judicial Review: Courts Against Democracy' (2020), David Landau and Rosalind Dixon have conducted an extensive global survey on the topic. According to them, 'courts have upheld and thus legitimated regime actions that helped actors consolidate power, undermine the Opposition, and tilt the electoral playing field heavily in their favour'. They explain that sometimes '(the) clever authoritarians often do their manipulation well before elections have actually been held, by consolidating power, stacking key institutions such as courts and electoral commissions, and harassing Opposition parties and leaders'. The paper says courts in countries such as Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia aided and facilitated electoral frauds which ensured continuation of autocracies. On the other hand, there are few instances where the courts could prevent electoral manipulation and the consequent subversion of democracy. The judgment in Baranwal exemplifies such judicial vigilance. Fourth branch institutions Article 324 failed to prescribe a body free from the ruling executive for installing the ECI. Modern Constitutions have reorganised the need to evolve fourth Branch institutions (in addition to the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary) which are autonomous and independent of the ruling dispensation. The Constitution of South Africa envisages a cluster of state institutions for 'supporting constitutional democracy'. The Chapter Nine institutions, as they are called, include the Electoral Commission of South Africa. The silence of the Indian Constitution prompted the Court in Baranwal to prescribe a fairer body for choosing the ECI. It was an instance of imaginative interpretation of the relevant constitutional provision. However, Parliament failed the Court and the people when it enacted the 2023 Act. The Court's refusal to stay the enactment practically nullified its own hard labour and intelligence in redefining the ECI as an independent fourth branch establishment. In India, electoral manipulation, as alleged by the Opposition, would call for a deeper and comprehensive analysis by a fair agency. The Court, on its own, will not be able to carry out this exercise. The only way to rescue our democracy would be to restore the position laid down in the Baranwal verdict and to nullify the 2023 enactment. A Selection Committee with the CJI in it will have to induct another ECI by way of a fresh selection process. Such an ECI will have to act as a Truth Commission to investigate the alleged instances of electoral scam. The courtesy expected from the present dispensation would be to facilitate such a course by removing the present ECI.

BJP MLC slams cow vigilantes, says anti-slaughter Act is against farmers
BJP MLC slams cow vigilantes, says anti-slaughter Act is against farmers

Indian Express

time7 hours ago

  • Indian Express

BJP MLC slams cow vigilantes, says anti-slaughter Act is against farmers

Days after Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar held a meeting with top police officials on the growing menace of gaurakshaks (self-styled cow vigilantes), ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLC and farmer leader Sadabhau Khot on Sunday said that the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, 2015, that prevents the slaughter of cow, bulls and bullocks is against farmers. Speaking to The Indian Express, Khot said, 'Let's be very clear. No farmer would part ways with productive cows. Dairy is a supplementary business of lakhs of farmers in the state. The earning from this is now being spent on taking care of unproductive animals as transfer of these animals is not only banned but under threat from these so-called gaurakshaks. The Act (against cow slaughter) is actually turning against farmers…' About cow vigilantism in the state, he said, 'These gaurakshaks resort to extortion from genuine farmers and traders, bringing the transport of animals to a complete standstill.' Khot, a farmer leader from western Maharashtra's Sangli district, said that as a farmer leader he feels that if the present act (to prevent cow slaughter) threatens the livelihood of farmers, then it should be 'torn apart'. 'This (the act) is not even helping desi cows as those are getting replaced by Jersey cows. The transfer of newer breeds from different states has totally stopped due to fear of these cow vigilantes. The so-called gaushalas (cow shelters promoted by the state government) should pay the market price to farmers for unproductive cows and must come forward to rescue the farmers,' he said, adding that he was 'ready to pay any price' for his stand. Last week, The Indian Express had reported that Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar held a meeting with top police officials in the state over the demands raised by the Qureishi community, which has been complaining against cow vigilantes who allegedly beat up and extort money from animal traders. Following the meeting, state police issued a circular, clarifying that private individuals have no authority to inspect vehicles that transport animals but only police can act against them. Terming the circular issued by Maharashtra police an eyewash, Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said, 'The circular says that only police can take action against illegal animal trade. But it does not say what action will be taken against the private individuals if they are take law in their hands? The majority of these so called cow vigilantes are linked to BJP and RSS and this issue is used for the politics of polarisation.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store