BENGALURU: After increasing the price of milk and hiking sales tax on petrol and diesel, the Congress government is likely to increase KSRTC bus fares.
The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) reportedly passed a resolution on fare hike on Friday. What could have triggered the decision was dues of over Rs 1,000 crore that the state government has to pay KSRTC for allowing women to travel for free under the Shakti guarantee scheme. The government is likely to wait till the nine-day monsoon session, beginning on Monday, to get over to announce the fare hike, sources said.
KSRTC Chairman SR Srinivasa, Gubbi MLA, said in Tumkauru on Sunday that the Corporation has proposed a 15-20 per cent ticket fare hike to the government. This is inevitable as the corporation has suffered a loss of Rs 295 crore in the last three months, he said.
Even North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) Chairman Raju Kage confirmed to reporters in Belagavi that there is a plan to hike bus fares.
“The corporation has suffered losses because of the Shakti scheme. Fuel prices and cost of bus spare parts too have gone up. The corporation has rented out its properties to run the show,” he said.
But Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy told TNIE that there is no proposal for such a hike. “KSRTC may have passed a resolution, but it will take at least a week to reach me. Let all the four transport corporations (KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC and KKRTC) send me a proposal then we will decide,” he said. The number of women beneficiaries using the Shakti scheme has gone up from 80 lakh to 1 crore, a 20 per cent increase, he pointed out.
Fares last revised in 2019, says KSRTC chairman
Srinivas said, “It has been five years since bus fares have been revised as it was last done in 2019. The fare increase is inevitable as fuel prices have gone up, and also, corporations need to give salary hikes and provide benefits to their employees. Salaries of KSRTC employees were to be revised in 2020, but have not been done so far. If KSRTC has to survive, this hike is necessary.
The proposal has been sent to the government, and it is left to the discretion of the chief minister,” He tried to defend the decision, saying the fare hike would not burden male passengers, who have to pay, as women in their families are allowed to travel free under the Shakti scheme.
“A proposal to procure 40 new Volvo buses has been submitted to the government. So far, 600 regular buses have been acquired,” he added.
Monsoon session from today
The monsoon session will begin from today. The ruling Congress, and opposition BJP and JDS are gearing up for a head-to-head confrontation. The recent MUDA site scam will come to the fore. Apart from the MUDA scam, they are expected to raise issues like irregularities in the Maharshi Valmiki ST corporation that led to the resignation of minister B Nagendra. The nine-day session is expected to be chaotic.
