APCC chief Sharmila demands implementation of free bus promise

Vijayawada: Boarding an RTC bus at the Pandit Nehru Bus Station here on Friday, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president YS Sharmila Reddy demanded the state government to immediately implement the free bus travel for women as per the election promise of the NDA government.

Travelling on the Palle Velugu bus to Tenali from here, Sharmila said that though it was four months after N Chandrababu Naidu assumed office as the chief minister, the decision on free bus journey has not yet been taken. She recalled that Telangana government implemented the same within a week after forming the government.

She said that daily 20 lakh women are travelling on the buses across the state and the RTC is earning Rs 7 crore per day. If the government implemented the free journey, it appears that the government is afraid that it needs to give Rs 300 crore to the RTC every month, she remarked.

Flashing the post card she had written to the Chief Minister, Sharmila appealed to all women across state to write to the Chief Minister demanding implementation of the free bus travel.

The PCC chief said that out of Super Six promises, free bus travel is the cheapest one which could be implemented easily for women who voted the NDA to power. She wondered whether the government would while away five years by prolonging implementation of the schemes. She also demanded implementation of free cooking gas cylinders since that would lessen the burden on women.

Sharmila said if liquor supplied at low rates, there would be more atrocities on women.