BMRCL refuses to disclose fare fixation committee report despite public, political pressure
Despite mounting pressure from commuters, elected representatives, and Right to Information (RTI) requests, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has refused to publish or share the report prepared by the fare fixation committee (FFC) that recommended the controversial Namma Metro fare hike earlier this year.
The report, which was prepared by a three-member FFC comprising R. Tharani, former judge of the Madras High Court; Satyendra Pal Singh, Additional Secretary, Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; and E.V. Ramana Reddy, retired IAS officer and former additional chief secretary to the Government of Karnataka, remains inaccessible to the public.
The Hindu also filed an RTI application in February 12 with the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs seeking a copy of the FFC report. The Ministry subsequently transferred the application to the managing director of BMRCL. However, no response has been received to date.
MPO asks for second time
BMRCL's reluctance to disclose the report has drawn sharp criticism from Tejasvi Surya, Bangalore South MP, who has made repeated appeals demanding transparency in the fare revision process. Mr. Surya took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, stating that he had sent a second letter to BMRCL MD M. Maheshwar Rao demanding the report's release. 'In the wake of the steep hike in metro fares, public interest demands that the FFC report be made available immediately to ensure transparency and accountability,' Mr Surya wrote, citing the lack of official response to his earlier letter dated April 28.
'This delay stands in sharp contrast to the practices followed by other metro organisations and goes against the interest of openness and informed discourse,' he added.
Recently, Bengaluru resident Madhan Kumar C. also filed an RTI asking not just for the FFC report but also for specific details such as whether any committee members were sent abroad, which countries were visited, the dates of the visits, and the observations made during those trips. However, he alleged in a post on X that BMRCL did not furnish any of the requested information.
The FFC is a statutory body with quasi-judicial powers tasked with determining metro rail fares across India. It considers various factors such as operational costs, maintenance expenses, and staff salaries before recommending fare changes.
The fare hike announced by BMRCL on February 9 triggered widespread backlash from commuters and quickly turned into a political controversy. In some cases, the hike neared 100%, sparking criticism from both ruling and opposition parties.
Following the public uproar, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah intervened on February 13 and instructed BMRCL to revise the hikes, labelling them 'abnormal.' Subsequently, the fare hike was capped at a maximum of 71% for stage-wise travel. However, the base fare and highest fare — ₹10 and ₹90, respectively — remained unchanged.
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