No hike in Bengaluru city bus fares now, says DCM Laxman Savadi
Bengaluru, Jun 8: The Karnataka government will not hike the bus fares in Bengaluru city buses at this moment but may review it after a few months when life normalises and the crowds return, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi said on Tuesday.
"Officials had proposed to hike the ticket prices but neither the Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa nor I heeded to it because most of those who commute in our buses are from the economically weaker sections, who are already in trouble. So we are not willing to trouble them further by increasing the ticket prices," Savadi, who holds the Transport portfolio, told reporters here.
He, however, said the government would review only after a few months when people start moving freely when the COVID cases decrease.
According to him, the government had hiked the ticket prices of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation and (NWKRTC) and North East Karnataka Transport Corporation (NEKRTC) about one and half years ago, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) did not submit any proposal to increase the ticket prices.
Now the BMTC has submitted a proposal saying that it may face a financial crunch, but keeping in mind the current situation, the government is not focusing on it, he added.
Savadi said the bus services would be resumed stage by stage once the lockdown is eased by strictly adhering to COVID appropriate behaviour such as social distancing, wearing masks and hand hygiene.
Expressing apprehensions that people will be scared to travel in buses due to COVID, he said his department will start bus services in a phased manner.
The Deputy Chief Minister explained that only those drivers and conductors who have taken both the doses of COVID vaccines will be called for duty.
"We will not pressurise them to work unless they have taken both the shots of the vaccine. Keeping in mind that those who have taken both the doses do not face problems, we started vaccinating our drivers and conductors a fortnight ago," Savadi said.
He also said that those who are entitled for a second dose, will be giving the jab on a priority basis.
Savadi said the transport corporations have suffered a loss of more than Rs 4,000 crore due to COVID and it may require at least 10 months to recover from it.
Till the bus services start in a full-fledged manner, the transport department may seek government aid to overcome the losses.
Bus services have been stopped since April 27 when the restrictions were imposed till June 14 due to the raging COVID pandemic, which had at one point in time seen cases crossing the 50,000 mark a day.
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Rajnath Singh chairs IGoM meet, urges constant vigil over West Asia crisis
New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday emphasised the need for round-the-clock monitoring of the West Asia conflict and called for a calibrated response to deal with any eventuality to ensure that national interests remain protected.
Singh made the comments while chairing a high-level meeting of the Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) set-up to monitor the situation in West Asia.
The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Power Minister Manohar Lal, Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister J P Nadda, Consumer Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi and Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw.
In view of the "uncertain situation", the defence minister underlined the importance of round-the-clock monitoring of the situation and the need to respond in a calibrated manner to deal with any eventuality, an official readout said.
He stressed on the need to leave no stone unturned to ensure that the people of the country face the minimum effect of the conflict, it said.
It was the second meeting of the IGoM after it was set up last month.
The IGoM was apprised of the measures being taken by the government in the wake of the ongoing West Asia conflict, Singh said on social media.
"We also deliberated upon the next steps to be taken by the government to mitigate any adverse impact arising due to the ongoing conflict," he said.
The defence ministry said in the readout said, "In the meeting, the seven empowered groups of secretaries briefed the IGoM on the steps being taken to tackle the situation."
"The IGoM was apprised about measures undertaken by the Ministry of Finance to address concerns arising due to global trade disruptions and provide relief and support to the industry, especially manufacturing, and bolster investor confidence," it said.
It listed measures including notification issued on Wednesday on full customs duty exemption on 40 critical petrochemical products till June 30.
The ministry also mentioned announcement of a special one-time relief measure for eligible units in SEZs to sell manufactured goods in Domestic Tariff Area (DTA) at concessional customs duty rates to be effective from April 1 to March 31.
It also noted another notification issued by the Department of Revenue clarifying that the provisions of GAAR (General Anti Avoidance Rules) will not be invoked in respect of investments made prior to April 1, 2017.
"These measures will reduce cost pressures on downstream sectors including textiles, packaging and pharmaceuticals, facilitate supply stability in the country and provide requisite clarity for investors contemplating investments in India," the readout said.
Defence Minister Singh appreciated the government's decision to impose a 25 per cent cap on the monthly increase in aviation turbine fuel prices for domestic operations, with effect from April 1.
This step will help protect the people from sudden increase in fares, he said.
The government has accorded highest priority to domestic LPG supply, with refinery production enhanced to fully meet consumption requirements, according to the readout.
"The IGoM was informed that there have been no reports of dry-out at LPG distributorships, and delivery of domestic LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinders continues as per the normal schedule. The temporary supply concerns arose due to instances of hoarding and black marketing, which triggered panic buying in certain areas," it said.
The ministers were informed that strict enforcement action is being undertaken, with raids being carried out across multiple states and Union territories to curb hoarding and black marketing of LPG, the ministry said in the readout.
Action has also been taken against some LPG distributors who engaged in malpractices, it said.
"To support migrant labour and low-consumption households, the government is ensuring adequate availability of 5 kg free trade LPG cylinders, and since March 23, over 4.3 lakh such cylinders have been sold. Special focus is being given to states where demand is higher," it said.
The IGoM was apprised that industrial requirements dependent on commercial LPG are being met, with over 80 per cent of pre-crisis supply levels being maintained to ensure continuity of operations.
"Special meetings have been held with ministries and stakeholders of different industries to understand their demand and meet their needs. Oil PSUs are ensuring continued supply of Auto LPG across the country," the readout noted.
"However, some supply constraints are being faced by private operators due to their procurement challenges, which is why lines are being observed at PSU auto LPG pumps. Wherever the autos are dual feed and can use petrol, they are being encouraged to use petrol," it said.
