Maharashtra govt cancels 10% MSRTC bus fare hike amid flood crisis

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 1 (ANI): A day after Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) announced a temporary hike in bus fares, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday announced the cancellation of the decision, citing the prevailing flood situation in the state.
According to a statement from the Deputy Chief Minister's office, "Considering the flood situation in the state, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde today announced that instructions have been given to the Transport Minister to cancel the 10% bus fare hike announced by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC)."
On Tuesday, Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) announced that it would temporarily hike fares by 10 per cent in all its buses, except air-conditioned Shivneri and Shivai buses, from October 15 to November 5.
The Shivneri buses primarily run on the Mumbai-Pune route, while the Shivai buses operate on various intercity routes, including Thane and Nashik.
"Passengers who start their journey after midnight of October 14, i.e. October 15, will be charged at the revised fare. The carrier will have to recover the difference between the old fare and the new fare of the reserved ticket from such passengers who have made advance reservations. In short, passengers who start their journey from 00.00 hours of October 15 will be charged at the revised fare," the statement read.
"After the Diwali rush season is over, i.e. from November 6, the fare should be charged again at the original per-stage rate," it added.
Earlier today, the Maharashtra government approved the construction of a 204-km-long four-lane concrete highway between Nagpur and Chandrapur.
The decision was made during the Cabinet Infrastructure Committee meeting, held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The Nagpur-Chandrapur Highway is a 204-kilometre, four-lane, cement-concrete highway, with an additional 11 kilometres of connecting road to Chandrapur city. The total cost, including land acquisition, is Rs 2,353.39 crore. (ANI)