Pay more only for AC1, AC 2-tier: all other rail fare increases rolled back

New Delhi, Mar 22 (PTI): Union railway minister Mukul Roy on Thursday rolled back the passenger-fare increases proposed by his predecessor, leaving only the AC-1 and AC 2-tier increases untouched. The passenger fares for second class suburban and non-suburban, sleeper, AC chair car and AC 3-tier remain what they were before Dinesh Trivedi proposed an across the board increase in his March 14 budget, which went against the diktat of his Trinamul Congress party's chief, Mamata Banerjee and cost him his job. Roy said the increases would have been a "huge drain" on the pocket of the masses. Replying to the debate on the Railway Budget in the Lok Sabha, Roy also put on hold Trivedi's proposal of setting up a committee to examine whether there should be an independent tariff regulatory authority. He scrapped Trivedi's proposal to expand the Railway Board. Roy, who was replying to the debate just a day after taking over as Railway Minister, said, "The proposal to increase fare by two paise per km, three paise per km and five paise per km in second class suburban and non-suburban and Sleeper class is a huge drain on the pocket of the masses." "Similarly, increase in the fare of AC Chair Car and AC 3-tier, which is now patronised by the middle class, is also quite severe….I intend to give relief to the already over burdened common man by not effecting any increase in these classes," he said. Trivedi had proposed 10 paise per km each for AC Chair Car and AC 3-tier. Roy, however, did not refer to AC 2-tier and AC-I Class for which his predecessor had proposed hike of 15 paise per km and 30 paise per km.