Months ahead of the assembly elections in Delhi, the Arvind Kejriwal regime is intent on loosening the purse strings with the Vidhan Sabha on Monday passing the government's proposal for a supplementary grant of Rs 479 crore for the transport department, a major chunk of it is meant to provide women in the national capital free travel in public transport.
The proposal, tabled by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the state assembly, provides for a grant of Rs 290 crore for free travel by women commuters in Delhi Metro and buses run by the Delhi Transport Corporation.
Of the total grant of Rs 479 crore, Rs 150 crore is the subsidy to be paid to Delhi Metro to facilitate free travel for women passengers. A total of Rs 90 crore will be paid to the DTC as subsidy for free travel for women commuters, while Rs 50 crore has been kept aside as subsidy amount for cluster buses to provide the facility.
In addition, Rs 142 crore has been earmarked for Road Safety Cell which includes payment to marshals, and Rs 47 crore will go to the Rapid Rail Corridors.
In June this year, Kejriwal had made the big ticket announcement of his government working towards providing free travel for women in the national capital on all modes of public transport. The move was seen as aimed at wooing the women electorate ahead of assembly elections. The state polls in Delhi are scheduled to be held early next year.
The chief minister, in his Independence Day speech, announced that women will be able to travel free on DTC buses as also cluster buses from October 29, the day marking the festival of 'Bhai Dooj'.
“On the day of Raksha Bandhan, I want to give a gift to our sisters that there will be free rides for women on all DTC and cluster buses from October 29, which will ensure their safety,” Kejriwal had said on Independence Day, with Raksha Bandhan coinciding.
The Kejriwal government has projected the proposal for free travel for women as aimed at providing them with greater security. Meanwhile, the state government has said that the free rides scheme, while it will soon be implemented in DTC and cluster buses, will take longer to be implemented in Delhi Metro as that would require certain new systems to be put in place.