Planning Minister MA Mannan and State Minister for Planning Shamsul Alam have claimed that the fare set for the metro rail to be launched next December is reasonable. After the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday, both of them expressed this opinion in response to the questions of the journalists.

Planning Minister MA Mannan said that the metro rail fare will not be reduced at all. A lot of money has been spent on this project. Its maintenance cost is also high. There is no room to rent less than that to cover that cost.

On the other hand, State Minister for Planning Shamsul Alam said, “All modern facilities have been installed in the metro rail. There will be air-conditioned coaches. Metrorail will run on electricity. The fare from Uttara to Motijheel is fixed at Tk 100. It doesn’t seem to have happened much. Maintenance cost of metro rail is very high. So the rent can be 100 taka, I don’t think much.

At that time, the Secretary of Planning Department, Mamun Al Rashid, said that the current rent will not cover the maintenance cost. Then State Minister for Planning Shamsul Alam said, then subsidy should be given.

It may be noted that the metro rail fare has been finalized recently. The fare from Diabari to Kamalapur in Uttara has been fixed at Tk 100. Minimum fare is Rs.20. The first phase of metro rail from Uttara to Agargaon will be launched next December. It will be launched up to Kamalapur in December 2023.

A total of six projects worth Tk 8,739,680,000 were approved at the ECNEC meeting, including an increase in the cost of the Chittagong Elevated Expressway by Tk 1,048 crore. Prime Minister and ECNEC chairperson Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting online from Ganobhaban on Tuesday. The meeting was held at the NEC conference room in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. Planning Minister MA Mannan and State Minister for Planning Shamsul Alam presented details about the projects to the journalists after the Eknek meeting.