_750x500-compressed.jpg?w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
Karnataka Transport Minister Laxman Savidi on Friday said that there was no plan to reduce the bus fares for state-owned Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC). He cited the poor financial condition of the bus corporation and the hike in fuel prices as the reasons. This was in response to a question raised by senior Congress leader Thippanna Kamakanoor during the Zero Hour of the Karnataka Legislative session on Friday.
However, activists of the bus commuters’ forum called Bengaluru Bus Prayanikere Vedike (BBVP), who have been rallying for a reduction in the bus fares, have expressed their disappointment, as they were hoping the government would offer subsidies to bus passengers. They had even approached various ministers and members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), and sought the government’s help to clear the BMTC's Rs 800 crore arrear, with “viability gap funding”, a temporary fund to help the corporation tide over their current financial difficulties.
Compared to the previous JD(S)-Congress coalition government, the current Karanataka government, headed by state BJP chief BS Yediyurappa, has an improved focus on the public transportation system. However, public transportation systems in the city are inaccessible and expensive, so much that people find it cheaper and easier to use private modes of transportation like two-wheelers and cars.
The state government has given the BMTC loan to buy new buses, to replace some of the outdated buses in their fleet, as well as to introduce a free bus pass for garment workers. However, the loan for the new buses does not give the bus corporation immediate relief from its creditors.
In a statement, the BBVP said, “BMTC seems to be getting financial support for 1,500 regular buses and 500 ordinary electric buses. However, BMTC had earlier mentioned that 1,300 old buses have to be phased out, which means that there will be a net increase of probably 700 new buses. This (increase of around 700 buses in the fleet) is welcome, but insufficient for the city’s needs.”
Regarding the free bus passes for garment workers, BBVP said that though this is a welcome move, there are lakhs of other workers in various sectors in Bengaluru who cannot afford the high fares. Reducing the fares across the board would have been far more effective and beneficial for a wider population who face financial hardships due to high bus fares. BMTC should have been provided additional grants to implement a substantial fare reduction to benefit the city better," the statement added.
The BBVP also expressed their disappointment with the Karnataka Budget 2020 presented on Thursday. Chief Minister Yediyurappa, who handles the Bengaluru Development portfolio, had said that in order to enhance the public transport system, 2,390 new buses, which also includes 890 electric buses, will be added to BMTC fleet. This is in addition to completing other metro rail lines and developing roads.
However, according to BBVP, the budget falls short of addressing Bengaluru’s actual transport gaps and needs. “It places a lot of emphasis on expensive and time-consuming modes that serve small sections of commuters and largely ignores buses. It's not clear how the government plans to address traffic congestion and pollution and provide affordable and sustainable mobility without much focus and priority for buses and in its financial planning," Shaheen Shasa and Vinay K Sreenivasa, part of the BBVP said.
The Karnataka government has been extremely cash-strapped, as its budget has been consistently shrinking. This year, the budgetary allocation has become even smaller than the previous year, as they follow the 15th Financial Commission, which allocates 3.64% to Karnataka, out of the Centre's budget. Last year, Karnataka received 4.71%, which comes to Rs 11,215 crores more than what Karnataka got in this financial year. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa also said that the Centre is yet to release the taxes from Goods and Service Tax (GST).
Bengaluru has recently been ranked the world's most congested city, according to a survey done by global organisation TomTom, which looked at traffic data from 416 cities across the world. This has sparked speculation that this poor ranking is what prompted the Chief Minister to dedicate some amount from its constraint budget to decongest the city's traffic.