Roll back hike in RTC bus fare: CPI

Tirupati: CPI activists led by its national secretary K Narayana staged a dharna at RTC bus stand here protesting the government for increasing the RTC bus fare. Narayana along with his activists boarded a bus and spoke with the passengers seeking their view on the increase of bus fare. They strongly opposed the hike in the bus fare as it will add more burden to them in the context of hike in electricity charges and spiraling prices of essentials and petrol. Speaking on the occasion, Narayana reminded Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy when he was in opposition assured 200 units of free power supply and also no hike in RTC bus fare if his party comes to power but now increased both the power and bus fare which was hiked 150 percent, making the life of common people more miserable. Both the State and Centre vie with each other in levying more burden on the people, he said warning that the opposition parties and the people will not remain silent if the governments go on increasing taxes and charges. Telugu Nadu Students Federation (TNSF) activists led by its Tirupati Parliamentary Constituency unit Ravi Naidu protesting the RTC bus fare hike took up distribution of pamphlets demanding the roll back of hike to passengers in RTC bus stand.

CPI (ML) New Democracy activists led by its state secretary Harikrishna staged a rasta rook near RTC bus stand protesting the RTC bus fare increase. Harikirshna said that the people suffered a lot due to two-year long Covid pandemic facing many difficulties including loss of livelihood and were slowly coming to terms with normalcy returning. But the Centre increased the fuel prices and the state government not lagging behind increased electricity and RTC bus fare one after another, unmindful of the pathetic condition of people at large.

The day is not far away for the people to revolt if the state and Centre did not desist from the acts of burdening them, he warned.