Supporting fare hike by transport department for the cause of the transport department, Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC) employees embarked on efforts to develop a policy for fare hike in proportion with hike in diesel rates to save the corporation. The employees, however, accept that the hike burns a hole in pocket of the passengers.
A group of employees led by Roadways Karmchari Sanyukta Parishad's general secretary Vijay Kumar Mamgai called on UTC managing director Nitesh Jha and put the proposal before the MD. The employees claimed that the MD responded to the proposal positively with an assurance to look into the matter.
Mamgai and other members justified UTC's decision of making hike in fare. They said that the step should have come earlier. "Fare hike has come very late. It should have been announced earlier. Fare hike is the only way to reduce losses. Inspite of several hikes in diesel rates, the UTC announced fare hike once since the UTC cannot afford the losses anymore. Eventually, it will have to look out for some means to
compensate the losses," Mamagai said.
Employee unions are not against the passengers who will have to pay more as fare. He claimed that fare hike was need of the hour. "Passengers want better facilities. If UTC has to come true to the expectations of the passengers, it will have to take some tough stands," Mamgai justified.
Passengers don't want to speak much over the topic as they feel that their words will fall to deaf ears. "The department has announced the hike. Even if passengers protest, they will not get anything. So, it is better to keep quiet and travel in roadways at an expensive rate," Vijaikant Dwivedi, who was leaving for Nainital from a UTC bus, said.
Dwivedi said that the department was least bothered about the interest of the passengers. They announced the hike whenever they wanted. The people would bore the brunt of it. "The hike would definitely burn a hole in pocket of the passengers, but who cares," Dwivedi asked.
Naveen Kumar, another passenger leaving for Udham Singh Nagar, came down heavily on the Centre for failing to check hike in rates of diesel. Instead of the State Government, the Central Government was responsible for the fare hike. Eventually, the transport department would have to take measures to meet out its expenses. When the department would purchase diesel at higher rate certainly, it would increase fare. The UTC announced fare hike recently.