Last Updated:February 09, 2026, 09:55 IST

BMRCL paused Namma Metro fare hike after public outcry. The Board, including Central and Karnataka officials, meets today.

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In the wake of the temporary halt to the proposed annual fare revision for Namma Metro following the public outcry, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has scheduled a Board of Directors meeting at 4 P.M. today, February 9.

The 14-member board — comprising five officials from the Central government and nine from the Karnataka government — is expected to brainstorm on the fare hike.

The central government officials will also take part in the meeting through video conferencing. Meanwhile, a decision on the annual fare revision is likely to be finalised by this evening.

Annual Fare Revision On Hold

In a media release on Sunday, the BMRCL announced its earlier communication dated February 5, announcing the fare revision, had been put on hold until further notice. “The decision on the revised fare will be communicated after the board’s review,” the release stated. However, it did not specify any timeline.

The rollback followed a massive criticism from commuters as well as an intense political drama between the BJP and the Congress, as they tried to pin responsibility for the proposed hike on each other.

The proposal came in the backdrop of the last year’s steep increase in metro fares, making Namma Metro as the most expensive metro service in the country.

Congress Vs BJP 

In a post on ‘X’, the Karnataka unit of the Congress hit out at the BJP, questioning its role in the proposed fare hike.

“First, they said the Centre has no role in Namma Metro fare hikes.Now, BJP MPs are running to Delhi asking it to ‘temporarily hold’ the same hike. If you have no power over fares, how do you have the power to pause them? You can’t wash your hands of responsibility and then claim influence when public anger rises”, it wrote in a post on ‘X’.

The party trained guns at BJP MP from Bangalore South, Tejasv Si Surya, accusing him of politicising the issue.

“If there is no authority over fare revision, how does the authority to stop it arise?” the Congress asked, adding that responsibility cannot be evaded when public anger reaches a tipping point.

The BJP, on the other hand, targeted Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and accused him of ignoring public interest and displaying a stubborn attitude on the issue.

Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, R. Ashoka, thanked Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar for promptly responding to the issue and temporarily halting the proposed metro fare hike.

“I had personally spoken to Union Minister Shri@mlkhattarji, urging immediate intervention to protect the interests of Bengaluru’s commuters. I am grateful for his swift and decisive action in ensuring relief to lakhs of daily passengers”, Ashoka wrote in the post.

Tejasvi Surya Detained Over Protest

Amid the political tug-of-war, Bengaluru witnessed heightened tensions at the RV Road Metro Station after BJP MP Tejasvi Surya arrived there carrying an empty trunk, which he said intended to represent the state government’s own description of its financial condition.

Addressing the media, Surya questioned the financial state of the Karnataka government, demanding the release of a white paper during the ongoing budget session.

As tensions arose, the police stepped up and seized the “empty trunk”, taking Surya into custody. BJP MLA CK Ramamurthy was also detained during the operation.

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