Kanwar Yatra: SC imposes interim stay on order asking eateries to display names of owners
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday imposed an interim stay on directives passed by the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments that eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route must display names of owners.
A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S V N Bhatti issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh governments while seeking their replies on the pleas challenging the directive.
"We deem it appropriate to pass interim order prohibiting the enforcement of the above directives. In other words, food sellers may be required to display kind of food, but must not be forced to display names of owners, staff employed," the bench said while posting the matter for further hearing on Friday.
No one appeared for the state governments in the matter.
The top court was hearing pleas filed by NGO Association of Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), TMC MP Mahua Moitra and others challenging the directive.
In her plea before the top court, Moitra has sought a stay on the orders passed by the two state governments saying such directives aggravate discord between communities.
The Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments had issued orders, asking eateries on the kanwar yatra route to display names of owners.
Besides them, the BJP-ruled Ujjain Municipal Corporation had directed shop owners to display their names and mobile numbers outside their establishments in the ancient city.
Violators will have to pay a Rs 2,000 fine for the first offence and Rs 5,000 if they defy this order for the second time, Ujjain Mayor Mukesh Tatwal said on Saturday.
This order is aimed at ensuring safety and transparency and not intended to target Muslim shop-keepers, the mayor had said.
Ujjain is known for its sacred Mahakal temple, attracting devotees from around the globe, especially during the Savaan month, which starts on Monday.
Extensive arrangements have been made across several states for the Kanwar Yatra that started on Monday with the beginning of the Sawan month of the Hindu calendar during which lakhs of Shiva devotees carry holy water from the Ganges in Haridwar to their homes while offering it at Shiva temples on their way.
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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.
