Ministerial panel to draft scheme for free bus travel sop to women

Vijayawada: The state government on Saturday announced the constitution of a group of ministers to study free bus travel for women in the states where it is already implemented so as to evolve a suitable model for the state.

The three-member committee will be headed by transport minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy. Minis-ter for women and child welfare and tribal welfare Gummidi Sandhya Rani, and home minister V Anitha are the members.

According to a government order issued on Saturday, the principal secretary to government, transport, roads and buildings, will be the convenor of the committee.

Reacting to the formation of the committee, Congress state president Y S Sharmila said the TDP-led coa-lition government is not sincere about implementing free bus travel for women and is adopting delaying tactics. She stated that though six months have passed since the formation of the government, it is showing no sincerity to implement its promises.

Sharmila said the coalition government delayed implementation of the scheme on the pretext of festi-vals. The government kept saying that it needed to buy buses and now it seems to have come up with another tactic by constituting a committee, she said.

The state Congress chief took to X to ask Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu why there was so much delay in fulfilling the poll promise. “Do you need such a big effort to implement a small scheme,” she asked. Sharmila mentioned that the Congress implemented free bus travel for women within a week after com-ing to power in Telangana and Karnataka.

“Didn’t they provide free travel to women with the existing fleet of buses? Didn’t they make additional arrangements depending on the implementation of the scheme,” the Congress leader asked.

“Does your government not have the funds to give Rs 300 crore per month to RTC under zero tickets? Don’t you care about women’s safety? What is your problem when the RTC management says that they are ready at any time? We, on behalf of the Congress party, demand that the coalition government prove its sincerity by keeping the promise given to women, at least as a New Year’s gift,” she posted. Free travel for women in APSRTC buses was one of the promises made by the TDP under ‘Super Six’. The schemes were included in the election manifesto of the TDP and its allies, the Jana Sena and the BJP.