Metro fare hike: Vatal Nagaraj calls for complete Bengaluru Metro shutdown on March 7

Protest held near Vidhana Soudha Metro Station as activist warns of citywide agitation if fare hike rollback is not announced before March 7.

Strong opposition to the recent Bengaluru Metro fare hike intensified on Monday as activist Vatal Nagaraj led a protest near the Vidhana Soudha Metro Station, demanding an immediate and permanent rollback of the revised ticket prices.

Addressing the media during the protest, Vatal Nagaraj announced a complete Metro shutdown across Bengaluru on March 7, warning that the agitation would be escalated if the authorities fail to withdraw the hike. He made it clear that the protest would continue until a formal announcement confirming a permanent reduction in fares is issued.

“We remained silent for long, expecting a reasonable revision once in a while. But now, fare hikes are becoming frequent and unreasonable. This cannot continue,” he said.

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Vatal Nagaraj criticised the functioning of the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation, stating that managing directors are being appointed from different states, including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and others, without understanding local issues. He alleged that Kannada language and local concerns are being neglected, including improper display of Kannada name boards.

Targeting both major political parties, he said, “BJP and Congress are both looting the people. No one is raising their voice in Parliament about what is happening in Karnataka.”

He further alleged that political leaders in the state have become “slaves to the high command, Hindi dominance, and Delhi politics,” while leaders in other states are aggressively fighting for their regional interests.

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Vatal Nagaraj, who said he personally travels by Metro at least once every two days, pointed out that commuters are bearing the brunt of repeated fare increases, making daily travel expensive for common citizens.

He issued a clear ultimatum to the government, stating that by March 7, authorities must withdraw the temporary fare hike order and officially announce a permanent reduction. Failure to do so, he warned, would lead to a complete suspension of Metro services as part of the protest.