THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: KSRTC has denied reports of fleecing of Sabarimala pilgrims by charging excess fare for the Nilakkal - Pampa chain service. A statement from KSRTC said that the ticket fare for special service is 30 per cent higher than the normal fare.
They however said that KSRTC’s extra charges are applicable for all special services operated during 53 festival seasons. These festivals include Beemapalli Uroos, Edathua Perunnal, Manjanikkara Perunnal, Aluva Sivarathri, Ochira festival, Maramon Convention, Thrissur Pooram, Guruvayoor Ekadesi etc.
The Nilakkal - Pampa route is 22.1-km long. KSRTC charges `10 (minimum charge) for the first 2.5 km followed by `1 each for the remaining distance. Since the service is through difficult terrain an additional ` 7.5 is charged as Ghat Road fare charge. The additional 30 per cent festival fare (`11.40) is also added to it to make the total fare to `50 for non-ac low floor bus and `80 for AC buses.
“The allegations on charging heavy ticket fare are not true. Such allegations had come up in previous seasons as well. This year the charges have increased because the government increased the bus fare in May. If we go strictly by the rules, the fare of non-AC buses is `53 and `102 for AC buses. KSRTC is offering a discount and cess money is not included in the total fare,” said the statement. Apart from chain service, KSRTC also operates long-distance services to Sabarimala.