Women May Soon Be Entitled to Free Rides on the Delhi Metro

Late nights on Delhi streets invite fear of the spiking crime and people generally tuck into their homes as darkness begins to lurk. It is not unusual for women to feel like sitting ducks on deserted streets and thus, those who can afford it, hail a cab or a bus. Well, travel for a woman in Delhi might soon be the least of her worries. In the wake of the stunning loss faced by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Lok Sabha elections, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced that the Delhi metro and DTC buses will soon be free for women. This announcement comes before the assembly elections to be held early next year.

At the press conference, he also mentioned that the proposal has been made to ensure a &ldquosafe travel experience&rdquo for women and encourage them to take public transport at night, as opposed to a private bus or cab.

According to the estimate provided, the entire operation will cost around â¹700 crore and will be completely borne by the AAP government. This is not unexpected as AAP&rsquos opposition to the recent metro fare hike by the Centre was dismissed. Officers have been given a week to draft a proposal to be presented to the Centre. The implementation of the scheme is said to take another two or three months.

While the subsidy will be available to all women, it will not be mandatory to accept it. Those who can afford the fare are encouraged to pay it and give up their subsidy so that other people might enjoy it.

On first encounter, the idea might seem very welcoming but there are a variety of loopholes in the plan that has made people doubtful of the success. Implementing the rule on DTC buses might be quite plausible, considering the fact that they are run by Delhi Integrated Multi Modal System (DIMTS). However, to do the same for the Metro may be questionable as the state and the centre are 50-50 partners in the Delhi Metro Rail and both must approve of the proposal. In addition to this, people are also fearful of congestion in travel.