New Delhi, 21 December (H.S.): The Congress party on Sunday strongly condemned the central government's decision to increase passenger fares on Indian Railways effective December 26, labelling it an erroneous pre-budget manoeuvre executed quietly and without formal authorisation.

Congress charged that announcing the hike mere weeks before the Union Budget, through an unofficial note circulated to journalists this morning, raises serious questions about the Modi government's operational transparency.

Congress media department head Pawan Khera, in a post on social media platform X, asserted that raising railway fares ahead of the budget is inherently wrong, and disseminating the information without an official announcement exemplifies the administration's opaque functioning.

Notably, the Railways has implemented a modest fare revision from December 26, under which passengers travelling up to 500 kilometres in non-AC coaches will incur an additional ₹10. The Railways justifies the move citing a surge in operational costs exceeding ₹2.5 lakh crore over the past year.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar