 "UP minister justifies bus fare hike, says no further increase in next 5 yrs")
Justifying the increase in Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation bus fares, Transport Minister Daya Shankar Singh on Tuesday assured that there would be no further hikes in the next five years.
The Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) on Monday hiked fares for general buses by 25 paise per kilometre to Rs 1.30 per passenger.
"There was no increase in fares for two years during the corona period... It should have been hiked earlier... The cost of diesel was Rs 60 per litre when it (the fare) was last raised and now it has gone up to Rs 90," Singh told reporters here.
Many vehicles in the fleet have to be phased out after 10 years or upon completion of 11 lakh kilometres because of the National Green Tribunal, Singh said.
Singh said the fare hike was important for the UPSRTC's survival.
New buses have to be bought, recruitment of employees has been stopped for many years, 900 dependents of deceased employees have not yet been appointed, he added.
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Singh, however, admitted that the hike should have been done gradually.
"The fare has not increased in three years. It should have been done gradually but now it had to be hiked in one go. There will be no increase for the next five years," he said.
Earlier in the day, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav attacked the government on the issue, alleging that it seemed that the government wanted to meet the expenses of the three day investors' summit later this month with money from the public's pocket.
Asked about Yadav's criticism, Singh advised him to visit Varanasi and have a 'darshan' of the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
"Akhilesh Yadav should go to Banaras (Varanasi) and visit Baba Vishwanath. Then he will know how much Banaras has changed...," Singh said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)