Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K. Kavitha and her supporters were detained by Hyderabad police on Tuesday when they tried to lay siege to Bus Bhavan to protest the hike in bus pass fares for students.
As the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) on Monday increased the bus pass fares for students, the Telangana Jagruthi, the cultural wing of the BRS headed by Kavitha, had called for a protest at Bus Bhavan, the TSRTC headquarters. When she, along with her supporters, reached there to stage a ‘dharna’ (sit-in), police stopped them outside the gate. This led to a tense situation.
Kavitha, who squatted on the road in front of Bus Bhavan, said that they will continue their protest till the government withdraws the hike in bus pass fares. The protestors raised slogans against the Congress government. Talking to media persons, Kavitha said the government has imposed a burden on students.
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The police detained Kavitha and other protestors and whisked them away. She was later shifted to Kanchan Bagh Police Station. A large number of Telangana Jagruthi cadres reached there to show solidarity with her. Meanwhile, the BRSV, the student wing of the BRS, also staged a protest at the Bus Bhavan.
Leaders and workers of BRSV gathered outside the Bus Bhavan and demanded an immediate rollback of the hike. Holding party flags and placards, the protestors tried to scale the gate and barge into the premises but were stopped and detained by the police. The TGSRTC has increased bus pass fares across all categories by 20-30 per cent.
It defended the hike in bus pass fare, saying student bus fares have not been revised for the past three years. “There is a huge rush in the student population using the RTC buses in Hyderabad and suburban areas. Keeping this in mind, the students with bus passes will now be allowed to travel in Metro Express buses also,” it said.
The existing student bus pass tariff in Hyderabad and Warangal, for up to four kilometres, is Rs 150, and the same has now been increased to Rs 225. The monthly student general bus pass fare in the two cities, which used to Rs 400, will now be Rs 600. The Corporation has also revised toll plaza user charges.
It stated that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) increases toll plaza user charges every year. However, the TGSRTC has been absorbing this higher fee for the past few years. But now, the fee will be added to the ticket. It, however, said this will not impact the city and suburban bus services as there are no toll plazas within the city limits.
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