Several members of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) demonstrated in front of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) on Wednesday, demanding an immediate rollback of the hike in travel tariffs.
Alleging that the KSRTC was “cheating” people by claiming the hike was needed to balance their sheets, Riyaz Farangipete, SDPI District Secretary, said the Corporation was among the most profitable in the country.
“For the economically backward, KSRTC is the only way to get around. And the hike will severely cut into their pockets,” he said. He alleged that though the State government had specified a hike of nearly eight per cent, KSRTC had raised it by 20 per cent on some routes.
“This clearly shows the Congress-led government is anti-people,” he said. They questioned the post-election timing of the hike.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, SDPI district President Aboobakker Kulai has said that in some places the cost of a KSRTC ticket exceeded that of private bus services. The group also demanded a white paper on the finances of the Corporation, and an increase in discounts to students for bus travel, among others.
