Delhi chief secy refuses to comply with Kejriwal's order on metro fare hike

Delhi Chief Secretary MM Kutty has allegedly refused to comply with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's order to examine issues related to the recent Delhi Metro fare hike and assess whether it could have been avoided.

Upset over the development, Kejriwal has asked Kutty to meet him at his residence with the copy of the order issued to him on October 11, according to a Delhi government source.

Kejriwal on Wednesday had asked Kutty to direct the Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC) to examine issues related to recent Delhi Metro fare hike and also assess whether it could have been avoided.

In his note to Kutty, Kejriwal had written, "the steep hike in metro fares has caused considerable distress to the people of Delhi. The hike could not have come at a worse time."

"The economy is in recession, medium and small scale businesses are facing losses and unemployment is soaring high," the chief minister, who is also the chairman of the DDC, had written.

The AAP government has been opposing the metro fare hike. The party had launched "Metro kiraya Satyagraha" at several stations to protest the increase in fares.