Don't have authority: Karnataka passes buck to Centre on Bengaluru metro fare hike

The Karnataka government on Friday said it has no legal authority to decide or revise Bengaluru Metro fares and blamed the Centre for the recent hike, calling attempts to pin the decision on the state “factually incorrect and misleading”.

Responding to public outrage over the revised fares, the government said it understands the “concern and anguish expressed by commuters” and stressed that a “responsible government must listen first." It added, “I fully understand the concern and anguish expressed by commuters following the recent revision in metro fares I assure the people of Karnataka that your voice matters to us.”

The state clarified that under the Metro Railways (Operation & Maintenance) Act, 2002, metro fares do not fall under the state government’s jurisdiction. Instead, an independent Fare Fixation Committee (FFC), constituted solely by the Government of India through the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, determines fares.

Citing Sections 36 and 37 of the Act, the government said the FFC’s recommendations are binding and must be implemented by the metro administration. “Neither the State Government nor the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation has the legal authority to override or disregard these recommendations,” it said.

The government underlined that the FFC was constituted by the Union Government, headed by a former High Court judge, functioned under a Central law, and operated under recommendations mandated by Parliament. “To now blame the Karnataka Government for a decision legally imposed by the Union framework is not just dishonest, it is a deliberate attempt to mislead the public,” it said.

Reiterating its stand with commuters, the government said public transport must remain “affordable, inclusive, and supportive of everyday livelihoods” and asserted that Bengaluru’s growth should not come at the cost of commuter hardship.

The state said it has formally taken up the issue with the Union Government, urging it to reconsider the fare levels recommended by the FFC, explore ways to moderate or rationalise fares—especially for daily commuters, students and low-income groups—and examine policy options that balance financial sustainability with social equity.

“Karnataka has always led India—in urban mobility, in public institutions, and in putting people first,” the statement said, adding that the state would continue to engage “constructively, constitutionally, and firmly” to protect the interests of Bengalureans.

The government also hit out at the BJP, accusing its leaders of staging protests in Bengaluru while failing to raise the issue in Delhi. It questioned why BJP MPs and ministers from Karnataka did not oppose high fare slabs at the Union level and accused the party’s state unit of acting as a “spokesperson for Delhi instead of standing with Bengalureans”.

Calling the fare hike part of a larger pattern, the government alleged that the BJP-led Union Government has repeatedly hurt Karnataka through reduced tax devolution, denial of fair grants, delays in infrastructure support, and now metro fares that burden common people.

“I urge the BJP to stop misleading the public, stop playing politics with people’s pain, and start doing its duty, first to Karnataka, and then to its party,” the government said, asserting that it will continue to stand with the people and respond to any fiscal, administrative or political injustice.