Fares of KSRTC Volvo services between Mangaluru-Bhatkal hiked
Mangaluru: The Karnataka State Road Transport Service (KSRTC) has hiked the price of tickets for its Volvo shuttle services between Mangaluru – Bhatkal to compensate with the toll gates fares after the Shiroor toll gate began operating.
The fares have been hiked to Rs. 261 from Rs. 250 for a journey between Mangaluru to Bhatkal and vice-versa.
Speaking to Vartha Bharati, a KSRTC official from Mangaluru division confirmed the news and added that the government had hiked the fares to compensate the toll charges of new toll gate that has started operating in Shiroor.
Regular commuters of the bus services have expressed their dissent over the move and has called on authorities to withdraw the hike in fares.
The state government had deployed the Airavat Volvo Buses for the services in March 2017 with the fares for complete journey costing Rs. 225. However taking into consideration the good response to the services and addition of more buses to the fleet, the prices were slashed to Rs. 200 in only a couple of weeks.
The fares were then once again hiked to Rs. 250 in 2018 before hiking it to Rs. 261 earlier last week. The Shiroor toll gate also started operating last week.
The earlier price hike to Rs. 250 had also received criticism by the commuters and several organisations had submitted memorandum to the state government and the KSRTC demanding withdrawal of the hike but both the government and the KSRTC had sustained with the increased fares.
On the other hand, the private bus services, plying on the same route have not made any changes to the pricing of the tickets. The journey between Bhatkal to Mangalore and vice-versa costs Rs. 140 on the private buses. But people prefering comfort and flexibility of timings opts for Volvo services of the KSRTC.
A WhatsApp message however, being circulated on social media platforms has been urging people to stage protest against the hike in fares by not opting for these government run volvo services and to opt for private buses until the hike is withdrawn.
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Women's quota bill would have ensured defeat of democracy, Constitution: Aaditya Thackeray
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday said that the passage of the women's quota bill would have ensured a "total defeat of democracy", alleging that the legislation, linked with a delimitation exercise, was a political tool designed to reduce the voice of states.
Thackeray, in a post on X, claimed that the Bill would have amended the Constitution for the political means of the ruling regime to increase seats, reduce the voice of many states and enable the gerrymandering of constituencies to ensure unfair victories.
"The very amendment that would have ensured the total defeat of democracy and the Constitution in India stands rejected by the unity of the Opposition MPs," he wrote.
The legislation should have been called "Delimitation to ensure unfair victory Bill", the former minister said, adding that there was a genuine need to enable 33 per cent reservation for women in the current number of seats.
"Now, it is up to the government to ensure that it is implemented in the 543 seats of the Lok Sabha for the 2029 elections and all elections across India, if that is the real intent of the government," he wrote.
A Constitution Amendment Bill to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats was defeated on Friday in the Lower House.
While 298 members voted in support of the Bill, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the Bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.
According to the Constitution Amendment Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
