Petition claimed that private operators run services in hilly areas and valleys, as some of these routes do not have KSRTC services.
Karnataka High Court. (Creative Commons)
The Karnataka High Court on Friday, 5 January, directed the state government to consider, within two months, a plea by private transport firms to extend the Shakti Scheme offering free bus travel for women to their buses as well.
The single-judge bench of Justice SR Krishna Kumar disposed of a petition filed by private bus operators in Udupi district who had made such a plea.
The scheme empowers women by providing them with free travel on government-operated buses — 6,308 city, 5,958 ordinaries, and 6,343 express buses — within the state.
The government compensates the operators of these buses for the zero-value tickets the women avail.
Since the implementation of the scheme, auto unions, and private transport firms, have been protesting as the scheme has impacted their income negatively.
Private transporters have claimed that they have been negatively impacted by the scheme as autorickshaw drivers were facing 40 percent losses every day.
The petition said the Shakti scheme could be “extended to private stage carriage operators also”, and a representation in this regard was made to the chief minister, deputy chief minister, and other ministers but there has been no positive outcome.
The petition claimed that private operators run services in mountainous and hilly areas and valleys, which are not otherwise easily accessible, as some of these routes do not have KSRTC bus services.
“Although the cost of running a state carriage bus is very high, the private operators are providing good services to the passengers at large on different routes throughout Karnataka and even in a number of routes where there are no KSRTC buses,” the court was informed.
The petition claimed that after the launch of the free bus services for women in state transport buses, private operators are suffering losses.
“Within two days (after) the Shakti Yojane came into effect from 11.6.2023, private operators are heavily and severely facing loss without any passengers, and the services which are in operation for more than 50 to 60 years on the route are in question,” the petitioner said.
On 11 September 2023, the Federation of the Karnataka State Private Transport Associations, uniting 32 private transport groups called for a one-day bandh over and urged the government to extend the Shakti scheme, which offers free rides to women on state-run transport buses, to private buses as well, among their other demands.
The federation had been demanding a ban on bike taxis, the introduction of proper price and commission regulation on taxi aggregators, giving ₹1,000 monthly financial assistance to auto drivers, an extension of the Shakti scheme to private buses, and a complete waiver of road tax.
Karnataka Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy had then said, reacting to the protests: “The financial aid being demanded for auto drivers and private buses will not be an easy task. It burdens the government by nearly ₹5,000 crore. They have every right to protest. We will make an effort to address most of their demands.”
(With PTI inputs)
May 10, 2024
May 10, 2024
May 10, 2024
May 10, 2024
May 10, 2024
May 10, 2024
