Govt paying for free travel for women should make Delhi Metro happy: Manish Sisodia after Metro Man's warning
Manish Sisodia's statement came a day after former Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Chairman E Sreedharan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him not to agree to the Delhi government's proposal of free rides for women in Delhi Metro.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Saturday that Delhi Metro has already been running in losses and the government's proposal to pay for the women commuters should make the Metro rail authorities happy.
Manish Sisodia's statement came a day after former Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Chairman E Sreedharan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him not to agree to the Delhi government's proposal of free rides for women in Delhi Metro. In the letter, Sreedharan said that the move would make Delhi Metro bankrupt.
Reacting to the Metro Man's warning, Manish Sisodia said that he, too, has written to Sreedharan regarding the proposal.
"I have written to Sreedharan sahib and told him that Delhi Metro is running in losses. It has a carrying capacity of 40 lakh passengers every day but presently, it is carrying only 25 lakh passengers," Manish Sisodia said.
The Delhi deputy chief minister also said that the government's proposal to provide "free travel to women" will be beneficial to the Delhi Metro.
"Its ridership will increase and fares will come down. If the Delhi government is paying for the women commuters, Delhi Metro should be happy with it," Manish Sisodia said.
Delhi Deputy CM, Manish Sisodia: Our proposal of 'free travel for women on Metro' will be beneficial for Delhi Metro, its ridership will increase and fares will come down. If Delhi govt pays fare of women commuters, Delhi Metro should be happy with it. https://t.co/nKJJJ0lZeJ— ANI (@ANI) June 15, 2019
Manish Sisodia had on Friday said that he was "surprised" and "pained" to read Sreedharan's letter addressed to the prime minister.
Manish Sisodia said, "Sir, your stand appears to be a result of misunderstanding about the Delhi government's proposal. You will appreciate that after completion of Phase-III of the DMRC, its services were designed to have a capacity of daily ridership of four million."
The Aam Aadmi Party also issued a statement after Sreedharan's letter to the prime minister.
Delhi Dy CM @msisodia writes to Dr. E. Sreedharan on his letter to hon'ble PM regarding #FreeRidesForWomen in Metro. pic.twitter.com/4Hc0966KN8— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) June 14, 2019
"We look forward to addressing Sreedharan's concerns over our proposal. He believes making metro travel free for women will result in losses and inefficiency in the functioning of the Delhi Metro. We want to assure him that the Delhi Metro will not suffer any losses since the Delhi government will reimburse the agency for free rides taken by women, thus eliminating the possibility of inefficiency," AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said in statement.