No revision of Metro fare till March

Bicycle sharing facility launched at three stations to mark its first anniversary

The Namma Metro commuters on the MG Road-Baiyyappanahalli stretch can relax a bit as far as the fare is concerned. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) won’t revise the fare till March 2013.

“The revision of fare depends on the expenditure we incur and as of now the expenditure is under control.

The revision, which might be effected after March 2013, will be as per rules and there could be a marginal hike of five per cent,” said N Sivasailam, Managing Director, BMRCL. He was speaking at a function to mark the first anniversary of the commercial operation of the Metro here on Saturday.

Sivasailam said the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike and the BMRCL have decided to take up the repair of the roads beneath the Metro corridors.

The State government has sanctioned Rs eight crore for restoration of the roads along Reach-2 (Leprosy Hospital to Mysore Road) and Reach-3 (Sampige Road to Yeshwantpur). The work will commence after the rains stop, Sivasailam disclosed.

The formal tests along the north line (Sampige Road to Peenya) will begin in February 2013 and the commercial operations are expected to be launched by June 2013.

Bicycle service

The BMRCL, in association with Kerberon Automations, launched bicycle facility at MG Road, Trinity and Ulsoor stations.

People can register with Automated Tracking and Control of Green Assets (ATCAG) system by paying a one-time refundable fee of Rs 1,000. The registered users will be issued a smart card with which they can top-up their  account using the service.

Every registered  user gets one hour bicycle usage free per day beyond which Rs 10 would be deducted from the account. The user can take the bicycle from any station and after use park it in the same Metro station or any other place where ATCAG facility is available, said Syed Haseeb Arfat, the chairperson of Kerberon Automations.

An ID proof (driving licence, passport, voter card) should be furnished for registration. More details can be had on www.atcag.in

To start with, 22 bicycles have been made available at all the three stations.
A Coffee Day outlet was also inaugurated at the MG Road station on the occasion. U A Vasanth Rao, General Manager (Finance), BMRCL, said the coffee shop has been rented for Rs 2.75 lakh per month while the bicycle sharing facility fetches Rs 22 lakh per year.

As many as 32 freedom fighters from different parts of the State were felicitated on the occasion. Veteran freedom fighter H S Doreswamy said the BMRCL should ensure that Metro remains a common man’s asset always.

“I am not saying that the Corporation should not make profits. But at the same time, the Metro fare should always be affordable for commoners,” he said.

Somalingappa Fakirappa Dodavada, the 102-year-old freedom fighter from Bylahongal taluk in Belgaum district said he wanted Metro be more ‘desi’ (indigenous).

“Some parts of the rail coaches are manufactured by BHEL. But all aspects of Metro should go desi. Only then we can call it Namma Metro,” he said.