Karnataka cabinet decides to increase bus fare by 15 per cent
Bengaluru, Jan 2: The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday decided to increase the bus fares in the state-owned transport corporations by 15 per cent.
The decision was taken in view of the substantial hike in operational costs such as increase in spending on fuel prices and staff, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said.
The opposition BJP lashed out at the Congress government in the state over its decision to hike bus fares.
Addressing reporters here, Patil said the decision will come into effect from January 5.
The move is expected to generate Rs 74.85 crore monthly and about Rs 784 crore annually.
“The cabinet has decided to revise the bus fare of the four state transport corporations -- KSRTC, NWKRTC, KKRTC and BMTC by 15 per cent,” he said.
According to Patil, the BMTC bus fares were increased on January 10, 2015 when the diesel prices were Rs 60.90 per litre.
“The daily diesel consumption was Rs 9.16 crore 10 years ago by the four corporations, which has now increased to Rs 13.21 crore. The expenditure on staff in these four corporations was Rs 12.95 crore daily, which has increased to Rs 18.36 crore daily. Hence the revision was necessary,” he said justifying the hike.
The Minister also underlined that 'Shakti' guarantee will continue.
Shakti offers free ride for Karnataka women in state-owned non-luxury buses across the state.
In the current fiscal, Rs 5,015 crore has been earmarked for the 'Shakti' scheme, the Minister explained.
Patil said, “Every month the state government is releasing Rs 417.92 crore grant to these four corporations. This will not be a burden on the state finance.”
He added, “With the hike in bus fares across all the categories of bus services, neither the transport corporations will go bankrupt, nor government exchequer will go empty. Mind you, we are the best state in terms of managing finances.”
Patil also said the state government has cleared all the provident fund dues to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore.
Regarding the decision he said, “We discussed about hike between 13 per cent and 15 per cent and the cabinet arrived at a decision of 15 per cent looking at the prices prevailing in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra. After the rise of 15 per cent, we will be lesser than any of these states.”
In a post on X, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said, "Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, with what face do you boast that you have given the five guarantee schemes to the people of the state? By failing to provide money for the Shakti Yojana, you have caused the transport company to tread the path of loss."
He said by increasing the bus fare by 15 per cent, the government line is that the bus travel is free for women, but it will definitely be a burden for men.
"The decision of the Congress government in Karnataka to increase the transport fare by 15 per cent is unscientific and anti-people and the BJP will raise its voice against this and support the people.
ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ @siddaramaiah ನವರೇ,
— Vijayendra Yediyurappa (@BYVijayendra) January 2, 2025
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
===================
The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
