Benagluru, Feb 27: The sudden hike in bus fares by the state-run transport corporation has triggered a public outrage and protests by the opposition Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) in Karnataka.
Terming the hike as anti-people and inflationary, the Congress urged the ruling BJP to withdraw it forthwith and spare the commuters from the additional burden.
"KSRTC and its affiliates should not further burden the people when the cost of living has gone up and its bus service is used by the majority in the absence of trains in many regions of the state," said Ravi Gowda of the Congress.
In a surprise announcement on Tuesday night, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and its two affiliates -- North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKSRTC )and North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKSRTC) -- increased bus fares by 12% with effect from Wednesday, drawing the ire of commuters and opposition parties alike.
Condemning the fare hike, JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy urged the KSRTC to roll back the revised fares and give relief to the common man reeling under price rise due to CGST, SGST and food inflation.
"The BJP government has deliberately increased the bus fare ahead of the state budget for 2020-21 fiscal on March 2, catching people unawares. Though student passes have been spared from the hike, regular passengers are forced to pay Rs 5-32 more instead of getting better efficiency, management and productivity," Kumaraswamy said in a statement in Bengaluru.
It's an additional burden on us, said Bengaluru resident K. Venkatesh, while adding,
"The 12 percent hike in bus fares by the KSRTC and its north-east and north-west affiliates from Wednesday will hit passengers hard and make commuting costly.”
"The fare hike will negate the state government's efforts to encourage public transport service and force passengers to travel on the train, which is cheaper, faster and safer," asserted Venugopal Gupta, a cloth merchant in the city.
Justifying the hike, KSRTC Managing Director Shivayogi Kalasad told media that the hike was inevitable due to the steady increase in diesel price, dearness allowance in staff salary and overall cost of operations.
"Since the last fare revision came in May 2014, the operational cost has gone up substantially due to Rs 11.27 per litre hike in diesel price, increase in DA to employees and repairing, maintenance and fleet management costs," Kalasad said.
The financial burden due to fuel price hike is Rs 261 crore, DA Rs 341 crore and operational cost Rs 601 crore per annum for KSRTC alone, he said.
"For the benefit of rural passengers, fares have been reduced to Rs 5 from Rs 7 for the first 3 km. There is no increase in fares for the first 12 km and up to first 6 km in express service," Kalasad added.
The victim has been identified as R Rudresh (42), a resident of Milkman Street in Shivajinagar. He was a BJP and RSS worker.
Comments
He died of a powder, which was scheduled to end his rowdy there anything special that he did,
Finally RSS got the sponsors for their trousers.
Chaddi to Pants journey
Whoo!!! chaddis have become Panties now!!!
He is a victim...it could be a dirty political game. BJP-RSS finds a good guy in their own association & plots a plan against muslims by killing them. This is well known. But Allah is the best planner. None in the universe surpass him. Allahu Akbar
Dear Chinnan , we condemn innocent's killings ....but these (RSS) are traitors who plot to kill INDIAN Citizens.....and hoisting Pakistani flag in Sindhagi
Muslims never betrayed INDIA .....these are you who traited our country
Quran Says 5:32 Whoever kills a person (unjustly)it is as though he has killed all Mankind. And whoever saves a life it is as though he had saved all Mankind.
Dont judge islam by seeing people rather Islam is totally opposite to what you see.
@ Naresh kotian. Your barking statement neither bring any solution to calm the situation nor influence the people of any faith, unless they are sick minded. I have been reading your sick comments every time, and I'm sorry to say that you are a uncivilized
Some of the morons like Kotians in this forum are suffering from inferior complex
They are jealous about Muslims. And I still wonder why Indian Muslims are associated with the neighbour country when there is no connection .
Why can't u associate us with countries like Saudi Arabia UAE etc
This reflects their cheap mentality and intolerance, which is taught in their chaddi Shaka's
And why surgical within...,if Allah wills a tsunami like natural disaster can wipe out entire humanity without differntiating Hindus mulsim Christians
So stop this hatred towards other communities
And look at the deceased. In which angle he looks like a RSS worker...bcos he looks like a goon.This murder could be for Girl, real estate or drug
Why drag muslims to it , Think why he is killed , muslims do not celebrate death of any person.. If deceased is having criminal back ground , it is a lesson to other criminals , same may face same end...
bros.... why roam with hate minds... spread happiness , accept reality...
Naina, Vijaya,
Please do not come to your own conclusion....let the law take its course of action.....don't count the chicken before hatch....
Its very bad!
RIP ....there is no safety for Hindus in rashtra drohi community controlled congress ..they hacked Prashanth ,charan kuttappa and Raju ....now rudresh....jai Sri ram ....jihadis will certainly have to face repercussions ...they were upset with surgical strikes on their co brothers in pak ...now its high time surgical strikes needed within ....jai sangh parivar ....
@laila; Stop dragging, muslims into ur dirty hindusht politics
Vote bank politics at its best. An RSS worker killed nothing happens! When a Muslim or a Christian is killed (not a good thing either) it is award wapasi time. Sick Congress and Leftists!
No one deserves to be killed in a civilised society.
These type of murders and lynchings etc always happen, just before any elections. These are happening right from Nehru's period. He murdered Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Rafiq Ahmed Kidwai etc. few more BJP and RSS workers will be murdered by Congress
RSS ? what does it stand for? Rahul-Sonia Slave ?
If a RSS worker is killed it is not a considerable offence because they are fundamentalists. If the same thing happened to others it means atrocities, anti secular, anti national, terrorist activity. When we will get up and live in the environment of reality.
@shiva, If people start killing people of one particular community for insulting girls then almost 90% of them will vanish.
I hate RSS and their Bhakts but killing any person in such a way should be condemned...... If people started killing Bhakts for insulting girls then more than 70% of Bhakts will vanish.
Hack the culprits back in a same way. hindus will not tolerate any oppression either..
If u live by sword, u die by sword
The Cong govt has no answer to give to the people over its failure to protect innocent hindus.
This should not have happened. Very sad. May Almighty Allah give courage and strength to the bereaved family members, relatives and friends to bear this irreparable loss.
Weak policing all over the country are bolstering the criminals to beat, kill, maime each other. Terrible. Strictest action needed.
Hindu murdered,all of u have no problem
But if a muslim/ Christian was murdered,u call it as fascism,terrorism,brutality,...olakkeede moody
What a ****** country
How We Hindus live here
i remember
Kalburgi
Panasare
Dabolkhar...
PARA NARI rudresh is a GOONDA. CPI(M) fools people in the name of secularism. For them secularism is being anti Hindu. They dare dont criticise Islam and its traditions but take pride in talking ill of Hindu traditions and Hinduism.
Lives of Hindus are in dangers under Siddu govt :(
It's Muslim groups who is doing to bjp
It seems rationalists are having a bad time in the sub-continent for the years. Shame really!
So sorry to hear that..
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