National Committee urges govt to reduce metro rail fare by 50pc

The National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways (NCPSRR) has urged the government to reduce the fare of metro rail by 50 percent. 

President of the organisation Md. Shahid Mia and General Secretary Ashis Kumar Dey issued a statement in this regard on Wednesday. 

Criticizing the government's decision to set the fare at Tk 5 per kilometer and a minimum of Tk 20, the statement of the civic organisation said, where the minimum fare of private buses is Tk 10, the fare of state transport companies like railways is completely unfair, unexpected and unacceptable. 

As a result, travel expenses of general people will increase, on the other hand, private transport owners, including buses and minibuses, will be benefited more, reports the statement. 

The leaders of the NCPSRR said that due to increase in fuel price, the cost of transportation has increased excessively. 

At the same time, due to abnormal hike in prices of essential goods, including medicines, people's living cost has increased by more than 40 percent. 

The statement said, the low and fixed income people are struggling to support their families.  

The National Committee strongly demanded that the minimum fare of this state-run transport should be reduced by 50 percent to Tk 10 and the fare per kilometer should be reduced from Tk 5 to Tk 3.