June 14, 2019
Former Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chief E Sreedharan has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In the letter, E Sreedharan has asked Narendra Modi to ‘disagree’ with Delhi government’s proposal for providing free Metro ride to women.
DMRC ex-chief E Sreedharan asked Narendra Modi to “not agree” with the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) new proposal, according to a The Hindu report.
The AAP government in the capital recently announced that the bus rides and Delhi Metro rides will be free for women.
According to the report, E Sreedharan — who is currently a principal advisor to the DMRC — said that PM Narendra Modi’s “personal intervention” was required in the matter.
The Delhi government is an equal equity partner in the DMRC along with the Centre.
The report says that E Sreedharan wrote the letter to PM Modi on June 10 in which he wrote, “One shareholder cannot take a unilateral decision to give concession to one section of community and push Delhi Metro in to inefficiency and bankruptcy.”
“Sir, when the first section of the Delhi Metro was to be opened, I had taken a firm and conscious decision that no one would be given any travel concession on Delhi Metro. This stand was taken to maximize revenues so that Metro fares could be kept low so as to be affordable to ordinary citizens and at the same time Metro would make sufficient operational surpluses to pay back the loans taken from JAICA,” The Hindu quoted E Sreedharan as saying in the letter.
“Now, if ladies are to be given free travel concession in Delhi Metro, it would set an alarming precendence to all other Metros in the country. The argument of Delhi government that the revenue losses would be reimbursed to DMRC is a poor solace. The amount involved in about 1,000 crores per annum today. This will go on increasing as the Metro network expands and with further fare hikes on the Metro,” the letter added.
Source :Indiatoday
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