The decision comes in line with directives from Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, keeping in view the sentiments of Mumbai's Marathi working-class commuters, according to an official statement from the minister's office.
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a protest against the Road Transport Corporation's bus fare hike, highlighting the burden on college and school students. The group submitted a representation but received no response, vowing to continue protests until fares are reduced.
Telangana Jagruthi President and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha, along with party activists and supporters, staged a flash protest at Bus Bhavan here on Tuesday, strongly opposing the recent hike in bus pass fares across the state.
Held under the banner of the CPIM, the demonstration witnessed participation from a large number of daily commuters, laborers, and local residents, all voicing concerns over the financial burden the fare hike would impose on the working class and economically weaker sections of society.
Reacting to the cabinet decision to raise the minimum bus fare from Rs 5 to Rs 10, Thakur said that the present state government is burdening the people of the state.
Grappling with a deepening financial crisis, the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government in Himachal Pradesh has approved a bus fare hike and reclaimed key hydropower projects from central PSUs.
"The Congress government is unable to raise resources to fulfil their poll guarantees... The KSRTC and bus department of Karnataka are virtually bankrupt and on the verge of closing... BJP opposes this anti-people move. We demand the CM to take back this decision of price hike," Karnataka BJ
Criticizing the move, he stated, "Since coming to power, this government has made it a routine to burden the public, and the people are forced to bear it."
The Karnataka government is facing a backlash from the opposition BJP following its decision to hike bus fares across all four state-run transport corporations by 15 per cent.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala on Friday slammed the Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government's decision to hike bus fares, calling it the Congress party's "khata khata loot model".
Karnataka's 15 pc bus fare hike is expected to generate a significant additional revenue of Rs 74.85 crore monthly and approximately Rs 784 crore yearly. This revision aims to partially offset the financial burden of the state's flagship Shakti scheme, which provides free bus travel for w