Congress condemns Boliyar incident
Mangaluru, Jun 14: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president Dr Manjunath Bhandary on Friday condemned the incidents at Boliyaru in Bantwal Taluk that took place soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath as Prime Minister for the third term.
Addressing a press conference here, Bhandary said, "Such incidents damage the image of Mangaluru as a peaceful city of the coast and instill fear in the minds of the people. Whoever orchestrated this condemnable incident must be punished severely by the law enforcement machinery."
He said Mangaluru is developing as a smart city and due to some misguided elements motivated by divisive tendencies, brings a bad name to the city that is otherwise known for its peace-loving and progressive people.
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He said, "permission should be obtained under the rules to hold victory celebrations. Victory celebrations should be held in party offices and public places. Shouting provocative slogans in front of religious places is incitement to hatred."
Clarifying on the issue of senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa facing a POCSO case, Bhandary said "It was not the Congress party that filed the case against Yediyurappa. The Congress government did not take any action against Yediyurappa for 90 days, for which he should thank the government."
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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.
