Delhi Metro's Pink Line opens for public

A part of the 58-km-long Pink Line of Delhi Metro was inaugurated here on Wednesday by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan.

The 21.56-km-long Majlis Park-Durgabai Deshmukh South Campus corridor of the Pink Line constitutes over a third of the entire 58-km stretch and it has 12 stations, including three interchange stations at Azadpur, Netaji Subhash Place and Rajouri Garden.

At the inaugural function, Kejriwal raised the issue of last year's Metro fare hike and said that it could have been avoided.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) was formed in 1995 with equal equity participation of the Centre and the Delhi government.

Last year, Metro fares were hiked twice triggering protests from the commuters and the Delhi government alike.

During his address, Puri conceded that the fares should not have been increased but added that the matter was "not in our hands".

"We did not have authority to influence it (fare hike)," he said.

Puri said that whenever the next Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) meeting would be held, the committee would consider his suggestion that the Metro fares should not be hiked for the next few years.

--IANS

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