Arvind Kejriwal writes to MoS over Metro, seeks panel where Delhi govt, Centre have equal say
After the Centre agreed to the Delhi government’s suggestion of a review of the Metro fare hike by an “expert group”, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to MoS Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, stressing on the need to “examine” and “reevaluate” the DMRC, its “organisation, management, control and accountability”. In the letter written on Monday, Kejriwal said: “More than two decades (have) passed since DMRC was conceived and it (is) time for a fresh and independent evaluation, primarily aimed at further reforms and improvement of DMRC.” Some of the issues raised by the CM in the letter include.
Expert committee
Kejriwal said the committee should examine the “organisational structure” of DMRC, “evaluate the accountability framework” and also make recommendations aimed at providing “affordable services”. The letter suggested that the committee make “suitable recommendations for reforms in DMRC aimed at providing better and affordable services to the common man”.
Constituting the panel
He suggested that an equal number of experts be nominated by both the Centre and state. In the past, the Delhi government had described the equal stake between the governments as an eyewash, skewed towards the Centre. Kejriwal said: “The Central government may nominate one or two experts, while an equal number may be nominated by the Delhi government. The members can then choose an eminent and independent person to be chairman.”
‘Communication gap’
Referring to the political spat over the “examination of DMRC” — which the Centre said the AAP government couldn’t conduct — Kejriwal maintained that there had been a “communication gap”. Stating that the government did not order a “formal inquiry” into the DMRC, he said, “All we want to do is examine the fares, finances and other matters pertaining to the DMRC.” This, he said, would enable the Delhi government “to evaluate the DMRC’s performance and improve its functioning”.untability framework” and also make recommendations aimed at providing “affordable services”.
