The protest against the hike in KSRTC bus fares continued in the city on Wednesday.
Members of the Karnataka Dalit Vedike staged a dharna outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office and raised slogans against the government. They said the State government had added insult to injury by hiking the bus fares at a time when the public was struggling with the increase in prices of essential commodities.
The Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) also condemned the move and said the hike had come as a rude shock for commuters.
Mr. Shashidhar, district secretary of SUCI, said common people were already finding it very hard to pay for KSRTC bus tickets and to add to that, the corporation had hiked the fare by 8 per cent.
What was disturbing was the proposal to increase bus pass rates as well, said Mr. Shashidhar, who criticised the government for attributing the hike to increase in prices of diesel, and salary hike for employees.
He alleged that permits granted in excess to private bus operators exposed the hidden agenda of the government to privatise the State-run KSRTC.
“Instead of controlling the rampant corruption within the KSRTC to keep the bus fares low, the government is taxing people further. While common people are suffering owing to increase in the prices of almost all essential commodities and services, the government is busy doling out bail-out packages worth crores of rupees to big corporate houses. In the interests of daily wage workers, farmers and middle class commuters who depend almost exclusively on KSRTC buses, the State committee of the SUCI(C) demands that the government withdraw the hike,” said the SUCI.
Members of the Social Democratic Party of India also condemned the price hike. It said the KSRTC was one of the few departments which had posted profits and so, there was no point in forcing common people to bear the burden of a price hike.
