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Himachal: CPI-M slams bus fare hike, threatens statewide agitation

Shimla, May 21 (UNI) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Wednesday opposed the state government’s decision to increase bus fares, terming it "anti-people" and a "burden" on the common man.
The party has warned of a statewide agitation if the fare hikes are not rolled back immediately.
Himachal State Secretary Sanjay Chauhan said in a press statement that the government first doubled the minimum fare from Rs 5 to 10, and later imposed an additional 15 per cent hike.
The fare for ordinary buses has now gone up from Rs 1.40 to Rs 1.60 per km in the plains and from Rs 2.19 to Rs 2.50 per km in hilly areas. The increase ranges from Rs 0.20 to Rs 0.68 per km across various categories of buses.
He further highlighted that the monthly school bus pass fares, which were Rs. 600 for up to 5 km in October 2024, have now been tripled to Rs. 1800, going as high as Rs 2500. "This is nearly double the daily fare and is unjustifiable," he said.
Chauhan accused the Congress-led state government of following the Centre’s neoliberal policies, pushing public transport towards privatization under the guise of overcoming financial crises in HRTC.
He said the state is systematically reducing HRTC’s presence by cutting profitable routes and allotting them to private operators. While HRTC now runs only 3150 buses on 2573 routes, private operators dominate with around 8300 buses.
He warned that the fare hike would force more people to use private vehicles, worsening traffic and pollution in urban areas like Shimla, where over 500 extra vehicles could hit the roads daily due to this move.
The party demanded immediate rollback of the hike and strengthening of HRTC to provide affordable and efficient transport, citing global examples where public transport has been made free or taken back from private hands.
UNI ML SSP
Tags: #Himachal: CPI-M slams bus fare hike# threatens statewide agitation
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