Must examine data of 2-3 months to know impact of Delhi Metro fare hike: Union Minister

NEW DELHI: A day after an RTI query revealed that Delhi Metro has lost nearly three lakh commuters since the day it announced a steep hike in fare on October 10, Union Urban Development Hardeep Singh Puri said the data should be examined for at least two to three months.

"When fare is increased, its impact is studied by taking into account data of at least 2-3 months. Neither Delhi government nor the Central government has authority to decide fares of Delhi Metro," he said. 

The RTI revealed that the metro's daily average ridership dipped from 27.4 lakh in September to 24.2 lakh in October, translating to a decline of around 11 percent.

The Blue Line, considered the metro's busiest route, lost over 30 lakh commuters, according to data shared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in response to an RTI query.

The fall, in terms of absolute numbers, was over 19 lakh on the Yellow Line, another busy corridor which connects Gurgaon to north Delhi's Samaypur Badli, the DMRC said in its reply.

The ridership on the Violet Line, which connects ITO to Faridabad, plunged by 11.9 lakh in October. 

The number of riders on the Red Line, from Dilshad Garden to Rithala, came down by 7.5 lakh.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had attacked the Centre for rejecting his demands for allowing fare hike to be reduced. The recent metro fare hike has not benefited anyone, Kejriwal had said after the reply to the RTI query came out.