The Socialist Students’ Front, one of the largest leftist student organizations in Bangladesh, has demanded a reduction in Dhaka metro rail fares and half fares for students, taking into account the financial capacity of the population and aligning with fare structures in neighbouring countries' cities.
The organization made the demand during a rally in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka on Thursday.
The organization raised concerns that the “high fares” on the metro rail and the absence of a “half-pass” system for students were creating a new form of discrimination.
Speakers at the rally said that under the rule of the Awami League government, corruption, bribery, embezzlement and money laundering had spread throughout the country.
They added that every institution, including the bureaucracy and judiciary, had been turned into obedient entities serving the government.
This culture of corruption had also extended to the transport sector, with the metro rail project being a prime example, they said.
Originally budgeted at around Tk22,000 crore, the final cost of MRT Line 6, stretching from Uttara to Motijheel, had risen by 50%, reaching around Tk33,500 crore due to delays, the Socialist Students’ Front noted.
The fares for Line 6, ranging from Tk20 to Tk100, were double those of private buses in Dhaka and two to five times higher than metro fares in India and Pakistan, making it unaffordable for a significant portion of the population, particularly students and low-income groups, the speakers said.
To ensure that the metro rail played a meaningful role in easing traffic, fares must be reduced, they said, urging the interim government to implement a half-pass system for students on the metro rail.
