PM Modi says free bus ride scheme causing dent to L&T Metro Rail project
R Shankar Raman, President, Whole-time Director & CFO of L&T, recently disclosed that the company is contemplating selling off the Hyderabad Metro post-2026 due to low ridership.
- Telangana
Anusha Puppala- Updated On:17 May 2024 3:27 PM GMT
HYDERABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's scheme offering free bus rides for women has prompted L&T to re-evaluate the Hyderabad Metro.
In an interview, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed how free schemes deplete state coffers, stating, "Poll sops that lead states to struggle for funds are unjustifiable. Parties have no right to deplete state coffers for the sake of elections."
Regarding Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's initiative of providing free bus rides, which reportedly influenced L&T to reconsider the Hyderabad metro, Prime Minister Modi said, "Constructing a metro in a city and then promising free bus rides to women to win elections in the same city means depriving 50 percent of metro passengers."
R Shankar Raman, President, Whole-time Director & CFO of L&T, recently disclosed that the company is contemplating selling off the Hyderabad Metro post-2026 due to low ridership. He added that the Telangana government's free bus ride scheme has made ridership less appealing.
