Wednesday, 21 November 2012

Transport fare hike pending before state cabinet



Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, Nov 19: After the one day call off by the transporters in the city the transport department has send the recommendation to the government for the approval of the revised passenger fail in the cabinet meeting.

This was disclosed by Transport Commissioner Mehraj Ahmed Kakroo while talking to TNI adding that a high power committee has been constituted to resolve the issue.

Kakroo further said that the committee had a detailed meeting with the representatives of transport union and keeping in view on their demands on revised price rate send the recommendation to the government which will be taken in the cabinet meeting for the final decision.
“Till the cabinet decision has been out we will unable to say how much in the passenger fair will be increase” added Kakroo.

General Secretary, Transport Union, Vijay Kumar Sharma said that many times we have meeting with the transport department on this issue but no final decision has been taken by the government till now resulting the today transporters strike.

Sharma said that on October 8 in Srinagar we had a meeting in which it was decided that before secretariat move to winter capital the passenger fare will be revised in the cabinet meeting, but till date nothing has been done so far.

He maintained that after that the state government had four cabinet meetings, even the standing committee on transport has also approved revised passenger rates and sent it forward for the approval in the cabinet.

“We submitted a representation to the state government and had asked them to put pressure on central government to roll back the diesel prices hike or increase the passenger fares but now the central government has increased the diesel rate by Rs 6 in September this year” he said.

He added that from the last one and half year there had been considerable increase in petroleum products like Mobile oil, grease, lubricants, compelled with taxes and passenger insurance premium from Rs 32,000 to Rs 48,000 per annum besides 20 percent increase in labour costs.

“If the government will not take any decision and revised the passenger fair within a period of one week the transport union will go for indefinite strike” Sharma said.

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