Protest demonstrations were held by public on Sunday in parts of Tamil Nadu against the steep hike in bus fares announced by the State government.
A group of villagers near Dindigul staged a road-roko against the hike and wanted the government to immediately withdraw the same.
The protesters, comprising mainly of daily wage earners, said the new fare implemented from January 20 took away a chunk of their meagre income.
Similar protests were held in other places like Chengam in Tiruvannamalai and in Thanjavur districts.
The bus fare hike in Tamil Nadu has drawn flak from political parties, including the main Opposition DMK, which accused the government of being ‘sadistic’ and giving a ’thunderbolt’ to the people.
The PMK and the DMK have announced protest demonstrations on January 25 and 27 respectively against the hike. CPI(M) will hold a protest demonstration on January 22. All the parties have sought an immediate rollback of fare hike.
Chief Minister K. Palaniswamy said on January 20 that the hike was effected with “anguish,” which was inevitable due to a host of factors which includes increase in the cost of fuel, and maintenance.
Echoing his view, Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabaskar said at Karur, “We seek the apology of the people. Due to inevitable reasons, Tamil Nadu government was pushed to increase the bus fare,” adding there was no scope for a rollback.
