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.
Comments
This is not only your question. my question too. that’s why we should end the mhar competition. Otherwise your son also may follow the same path one day.
Masha Allah! it is good to note that some of our brothers brought the globally acclaimed Islamic Scholar to Mangalore.
It would have been more beneficial for the community if the hosts arranged one two public programs in Mangalore and Kasaragod.
Masha Allah Masha Allah happy to see Mufti Menk at our place.Good message to the youth regarding non-competition over mahr.
My Reply to A Mangalorean. Why did your son agree to pay that much Mehr while it was not under his capacity. May be he tried to show his Father in Law that he is also a rich person. Why one should put himself in debt. Now he will have to pay interest on the loan and this is agaisnt the teaching of Islam. We will not put ourself in trouble if we follow simple way tought by our Prophet. May Allah bless us with right way Islam and keep us away from show up.
Hahaha
I m absolutely delighted that Mufti Menk has visited our place and given lecture on Mahr to Manglorean Muslims.
Hoping to see him again and again !!
Good that mufti menk has taken initiative to end mahr competition. Hope it won’t be the beginning of the ‘mufti competition’. Now another NRI businessman in mangalore may think of bringing numan ali khan for next wedding in family (kidding)
Welcome to mufti menk a renowed international scholar to Mangalore. Mufti should advise the rich muslims of coastal Karnatkada to refrain from luxury marriage style with luxury marriage halls and luxury foods.
Unlucky that i was not part of this event. Mufti Sir do visit Manglore frequetly and guide mangloreans who indulged in shirk and diddah... May god bles you, give you good health and long life.
demanding dowry is not islamic culture. he has given series of lectures on that issue. if you want u can google and listen. but what he did here is a timely decision- he pervented show off. why he should talk about non-islamic system of dowry at a wedding where there was no dowry?
A considerable number of Mangalore muslims have adopted the Hindu custom of dowry. But mhar has not disappeared. At the same time among rich muslims there is definitely competition over mahr. This had happened in my son’s wedding too. he had borrowed huge loan to pay a Rs 50 lakh gold as mahr. so I personally feel that Mufti menk’s initiative is good.
Thants Right, instead of speaking about the dowry system which is demanded by the men as oppose to the mahr he is speaking opposite which is very trivial issue in comparison to what a girl's parents suffer.
Barakallau lakumaa wa baarik alaikumaa wa jam'a bainakumaa fee khair. May Allah(swt) bless the new couple. Ameen.
Mahr was never a competition here. Its all peanuts compared to the jwellery the bride wears from her fathers hard earned money. If not that, then its the brand new car in display outside the wedding hall, again brought by the brides father for the bridegroom.
mufti menk has not realised that most of the bearys hav sold themselves to the indian custom of dowry for demand or for self prestige
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