New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party has sought an explanation from Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri over the recent media report of fall in Delhi metro ridership following fare hikes, claiming that the move has led to increase of pollution and impacted the economically weaker sections of the society.
According to a recent media report, the average daily ridership of the Delhi metro has dropped by over 3 lakh.
Reacting to it, the AAP has sought an explanation from Puri, alleging that apart from directly affecting the revenues of Delhi Metro, the fare hike has also forced the metro commuters to switch to other modes of transport "which is causing an increase in the air pollution levels in Delhi."
"Higher Metro tariffs also directly affect the travel pattern of the economically weaker sections of the society," the AAP said in a statement.
"The Aam Aadmi Party would like to know from the Union Minister of State for Urban Development Hardeep Singh Puri, who is these days taking a keen interest in politics of Delhi, what is his response to the fact that following the twin Metro hike in 2017, average daily Metro ridership has fallen by over three lakh daily?" the party said.
The AAP questioned the official BJP stand on the metro fare hike.
"Can any of the seven BJP MPs from Delhi show a single letter they had written to the central government opposing the Metro fare hike? Can any BJP MP show a single speech/statement they had given in the Parliament or outside against this anti-people decision? Does the Delhi BJP endorse the statement of Mr Hardeep Singh Puri that fare hike was mandatory?" the AAP asked.
The AAP said it will make Delhi Metro fare hike by the BJP's central government an issue for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections and will tell the people of Delhi that the seven MPs elected by them in 2014 fully deceived them.
Earlier, the state BJP had said that the Delhi government has a 50 per cent stake in DMRC and there can be no fare hike without its consent.
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