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Delhi
Metro Rail News Archives »
Metro ticket to get costlier?
18th, May, 2007
Security charge should be part of operational cost, says EGOM; Rate
revision on the cards
Commuters taking the metro may now have to pay more, not because
Delhi Metro has decided to hike fares but as a result of the Empowered
Group of Ministers' decision that security charges should
be part of the operational cost.
In the EGOM meeting held recently, the Urban Development Ministry
(UD) proposed that cost of security should not be included in the
project cost but treated as operational cost. This simply means
the cost of the security will be passed onto the consumer. "DMRC
covers its entire operational cost from the riders," a UD
Ministry official said.
The group had stated that security related expenditure for public
transport services would require to be looked into by the Ministry
of Home Affairs (MHA) as a "sovereign function".
The ministry is yet to decide on the verdict. "No final decision
has been taken. We are yet to hold a meeting with the Home Ministry
on the issue," the official said.
The MHA bears the annual expenditure of Rs 27 crore for providing
CISF security at metro stations. DMRC only bears Rs 16 crore, a
one time cost, for the security infrastructure.
In the light of DMRC's having to bear the heavy charges,
the EGOM has suggested that Delhi Metro should consider having its
own security arrangements in the future. Metro officials refused
to comment.
That is not the only blow for Delhi. The EGOM has also decided
that the metro line between New Delhi Railway Station and the airport
will not receive any tax concessions from the government. However
the entire metro's second phase, except Central Secretariat
Badarpur corridor, will be exempted from tax. DMRC would be saving
about Rs 1,100 crore in the second phase of Rs 7,500 crore because
of the tax concessions. The airport line, to be constructed on Public
private partnership, would be run by a private consortium for a
period of 30 years with private partners bringing international
quality rolling stock and signaling system. "The price of
traveling to the airport by the metro would be much higher than
other metro lines," an official said.
The government has also taken a policy decision that no tax concessions
would be giver for further construction of any metro line in India.
Source: TNN
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