Bengaluru auto drivers reject 20% fare hike; Plan protest
No scope for change; drivers must follow it: Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy
Bengaluru: Bengaluru's auto drivers have expressed strong opposition to the government's decision to increase fares by 20% starting August 1, with several unions announcing a boycott of the hike.
The protest is expected to involve around 50,000 drivers who have called for a halt on recalibrating meters until the government reviews the decision, as reported by Deccan Herald on Wednesday.
The District Transport Authority has set a new base fare of Rs 36 for the first 2 km and Rs 18 for every additional kilometre. This is a rise from the current fare of Rs 30 for the first 2 km and Rs 15 per km, which has been in place since 2021.
“We are dissatisfied with the hike. It is unscientific and ignores inflation. We have written to the chief secretary and Bangalore Urban deputy commissioner, but received no response,” DH quoted D. Rudramurthy, general secretary, Auto Rickshaw Drivers’ Union (ARDU), as saying.
Drivers are demanding a base fare of Rs 40 and Rs 20 per km. C. Sampath, General Secretary of the Adarsha Auto Union, also voiced concerns over the practicality of the new fares. "We will not accept anything less. The fare must be rounded off. With UPI usage declining, giving change will become a problem," he stated.
However, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy stood firm on the fare hike. "The fare was finalised after due research. There is no scope for change. Drivers must follow it,” DH quoted Reddy as saying.
A senior Regional Transport Officer (RTO) official quoted in the report warned that non-compliance could affect drivers’ fitness certificates and permits. “We will coordinate with the traffic police and the Bangalore Urban deputy commissioner,” he added.
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VHP slams Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge for 'money laundering' comment on RSS
Nagpur (PTI): The Vishva Hindu Parishad on Monday slammed Karnataka Congress minister Priyank Kharge for linking the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to money laundering and asserted such statements were part of a strategy to insult patriotic organisations and defame patriots.
Kharge, while speaking at an event in Bengaluru on Sunday, cited the RSS' "network of more than 2,500 organisations, they are from America, England" to allege "these people are into money laundering".
Addressing a press conference here, VHP national organisational secretary Milind Parande said such statements will reduce the acceptance in society of those making them.
"They are trying to increase their credibility and trying to indulge in appeasement (with such remarks), both of which will not succeed. There are many forces and persons in India who have a problem with the awakening of Hindutva. They are coming up with such nonsense. Using such words and insulting patriotic organisations shows their intellectual bankruptcy," he said.
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"It will reduce their acceptance in society. What he (Kharge) said is absolutely false and even they know it. But they do it as a strategy to defame patriots. The people of Karnataka must think whether such people should be brought back to power. Hence, the VHP always asserts those who believe in the interests of Hindus must be in power at the Centre and in the states," Parande added.
Asked about the BNP winning polls in Bangladesh and whether it will improve the conditions of the Hindus there, Parande said it is expected that the community is protected irrespective of who is in power. So far, people there have been incapable of protecting Hindus, he said in reference to attacks on the community since the Sheikh Hasina government fell following an uprising in August 2024.
Asserting that most of the violence has been sponsored by political parties, Parande said, "The Hindu community is in a very dangerous situation in Bangladesh."
He also refused to comment on the face-off between the Uttar Pradesh government and Swami Avimukteshwaranand during Magh Mela festivities in Prayagraj. A controversy erupted on Mauni Amavasya morning at the Sangam Nose when police, citing heavy crowd pressure, allegedly stopped the seer from proceeding to the Sangam in a palanquin along with a large number of supporters.
The VHP as a practice does not give a statement on disputes between saints as it would not be appropriate, Parande said.
Without taking the name of Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal, the VHP leader said it was surprising anyone from the state can make such a remark about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The Congress leader has courted controversy by equating 18th Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan with the founder of the Maratha Empire.
On some persons sprinkling cow urine to purify a temple in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar following the visit of Muslim Shiv Sena MLA Abdul Sattar in Sillod on Mahashivratri on Sunday, Parande said places of worship must be visited by those who have faith.
Without genuine sentiment, it becomes a mere political stunt, he said.
"Religion should never be exploited for political gain, as that insults faith," Parande said while not commenting on the 'purification' episode linked to the incident.
