Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt has been dealt his first setback by the City Assembly, when two motions regarding the Green Line electric train project were rejected on technical grounds.
One of the motions concerns the passenger fare for the Green Line’s two extensions, one from Mor Chit to Saphan Mai and Khu Kot in Pathum Thani province and the other from Bearing to Keha in Samut Prakan province.
During a recent meeting, the City Assembly agreed that the two motions should be merged before being debated and several assemblymen expressed disagreement with the motion, claiming that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has no authority to set the passenger fares for the Green Line service. At the end of the meeting, the assembly voted for motions to be withdrawn.
During the debate, Governor Chadchart explained that the BMA was not seeking the City Assembly’s approval for the train fare, but merely wanted to seek its opinion.
He also said that his administration did not initiate the Green Line project, but inherited the unsolved problems which, he said, should be jointly resolved by the BMA and the City Assembly.
Assemblyman representing Phaya Thai district, Perapol Kanokwalai of the Move Forward Party, said during the debate that the city administration used the word “motion”, which means that the assembly must vote on it.
If the BMA just wanted to seek opinions from or consult with the assembly, he said the city administration must not use the word “motion.”
