Protests staged against hiked bus fares in Kurnool, Nandyal

Kurnool: Demanding the government to withdraw the increased bus fares, Telugu Desam Party and student organisation leaders staged protests and took out bike rallies across Kurnool and Nandyal districts on Saturday.

Addressing a protest at Banaganapalle bus stand, TDP former MLA BC Janardhan Reddy said that in three years rule of YSRCP, the bus fares have been hiked three times, mounting a huge burden on middle class and poor people. Earlier, Janardhan Reddy travelled in government bus and spoke to the passengers.

He asked the passengers how they are feeling in the YSR Congress government. He said the government bus fares were more than the private buses and demanded the government to immediately withdraw the hiked bus fares. On the other hand, the leaders of All India Students Federation (AISF) and All India Youth Federation (AIYF) organised a rasta roko in Nandyal. Speaking on the occasion, student leader Prasad said the YSRCP government was putting unbearable burden on the common people and demanded the government to immediately withdraw the hiked bus fares else they would intensify the agitations hampering the government activities.

In Anantapur, TDP politbureau member Kalava Sreenivasulu took a dig at the YSRCP government for increasing the RTC bus fares third time. Speaking at the dharna organised to protest bus fares hike here on Saturday, Sreenivasulu said that it is a shame on the part of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy to claim to be a pro-poor government when his actions are contrary to his words.

Already by increasing fares twice, he put a burden of Rs 2,300 crores and with the latest hike, he has broken the back of poor and middle-class people. In a separate statement, former minister Paritala Sunitha made fun of YSRCP government for making animals as scapegoats for their failures. She scoffed at officials for blaming a squirrel for the electrocution tragedy in Puttaparthi.

She maintained that in other incidents monkeys and dogs were blamed for theft of evidence materiel from courts. Sunitha demanded compensation payment of Rs 50 lakh to the kin of the electrocuted women in Tadimarri mandal in Sathya Sai district besides giving government job to family members.