While the city's first Metro between Versova and Ghatkopar is about to complete five years in June, the dispute between the Reliance Infrastructure-led Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL) and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) over fares is not yet over.
The MMRDA and MMOPL are caught in a tussle over actual construction cost of Metro-1. MMOPL claims it to be over Rs 4,000 crore and MMRDA claims it to be around Rs 2,300 crore for which the arbitration process between the two is currently ongoing.
Currently, the fare slab is Rs 10,20,30,40 for the 11.4-km-long route. The MMOPL had proposed a fare slab of Rs 10,20,25,35, and 45 in 2015 taking into account the fare fixation committee's (FFC) recommendation in July 2015 to have the fare somewhere between Rs 10 and Rs 110.
The MMRDA had challenged this proposal in the Bombay High Court citing provisions in the concession agreement that mandate a lower fare. In December 2017, the Bombay High Court quashed a recommendation of the FFC along with the MMOPL's proposal. The Bombay High Court had also asked to form a new FFC to decide on the fare structure for the Metro-1 corridor. Subsequently, it was only earlier this year, when a new three-member FFC was formed with representatives from the state and Central governments to look into the revision of fare.
According to an MMRDA official, "We are expecting the new FFC report to come out any time after the Lok Sabha election results. The arbitration process is also underway and will take time. In case of the audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), the MMOPL is denying the same, however, we are pushing for it.'
While the MMRDA is pushing for the CAG audit of Metro-1, the MMOPL has in the past said that auditing accounts of Metro-1 by CAG will not serve any public interest. The MMOPL has also maintained to deal with the issue under the relevant provisions of the concession agreement.
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