BJD MLA fined for violating traffic rules
Bhubaneswar: Ruling BJD MLA Ananta Narayan Jena was on Sunday penalised Rs 500 for violating traffic rules, police said.
Jena, MLA from Bhubaneswar (Central) and a former city mayor, was in the city to attend a traffic sensitisation programme when the incident took place, they said. The lawmaker's driver had parked the vehicle at a 'No Parking Zone', prompting police to take action.
A challan of Rs 500 fine for wrong parking of vehicle was issued as per law, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Anup Sahu told reporters.
Jena admitted that his vehicle was parked where it should not have been, and said "everybody is equal before the law". The incident occurred at Raj Mahal square where commuters gheraoed on-duty traffic policemen and protested the collection of "hefty" fines.
The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed on July 31 in Parliament with provisions for heavier penalties for violations in an attempt to improve road safety. The bill got the President's assent on August 9 and is applicable pan India from September 1.
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Private bus operators in Karnataka to hike fares by 20-30 pc after fuel price rise
Bengaluru (PTI): In the wake of the hike in fuel prices, private bus operators have decided to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, effective from Friday midnight.
They have also called for government subsidies, a reduction in cess, and lower road taxes to improve the situation.
"The situation for bus owners in the state is already distressing due to high road tax and the impact of the Shakti scheme (free bus travel for women in government buses). On top of this, fuel prices have increased," Karnataka State Bus Owners’ Association President S Nataraj Sharma said.
"This will impose a burden of Rs 15,000 per vehicle per month on bus owners. If an owner has three buses, the burden will be Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 per month," he added.
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Speaking to reporters, he said the situation has made it inevitable for owners to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, under current conditions.
The increase may be roughly Rs 200 per seat, he added.
"For example, the current bus fare from Bengaluru to Belagavi is around Rs 1,000–Rs 1,200, which is likely to rise to Rs 1,350–Rs 1,400. Similarly, fares from Bengaluru to Mangaluru or Udupi currently range from Rs 900–Rs 1,000 and are expected to go up to Rs 1,100–Rs 1,200," he said.
Petrol and diesel prices were each hiked by Rs 3 per litre on Friday, the first rate increase in more than four years, amid mounting losses for fuel retailers due to surging global crude prices in the wake of the West Asia conflict.
The increase comes a couple of weeks after the Assembly elections concluded in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.
