The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and the MDMK have slammed the increase in bus fares and have decided to participate in the protest announced by the DMK against the move on January 27.
In a statement, TNCC president Su. Thirunavukkarasar condemned the increase in bus fares, stating that “there can be no worse anti-people move by the government than this. The people are ready to teach the government a lesson for the fare hike.”
MDMK leader Vaiko said the government cannot cite the increase in fuel prices as an excuse to increase the bus fares.
“The transport corporations are running at a loss due to the inefficiency of the AIADMK government and the institutional corruption happening in these transport corporations,” Mr. Vaiko alleged.
‘Obsolete buses’
The MDMK leader said a report published by the Ministry of Road Transport had pointed out that Tamil Nadu had the highest number of obsolete buses, operating beyond their stipulated lifetime. “Not only will crores of citizens be impacted by this bus fare hike, but prices of vegetables, fruits and other goods will go up,” he said.
Both the parties said they will take part in the protest organised by the DMK on January 27 and asked their cadres to support the agitations to be held at all district headquarters.
‘Govt. feared a backlash’
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Government Employees’ Association (TNGEA) has also condemned the hike in bus fares, contending that the sudden move has put the general public to severe hardship.
TNGEA general secretary M. Anbarasu, in a statement, claimed that several passengers were caught unawares since the hike was announced half-way through their journey and they had to struggle to pay for the tickets. The government had announced the hike without a warning, fearing a backlash, he claimed.
Hiking the bus fare was not the only option available to manage the financial crunch and the government should have addressed other issues like corruption, he argued.
It was not right to burden the people with such a steep hike without exploring other options, he added.
