The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) has denied allegations of fare hikes and cuts to regular bus services during the Dasara festival, stating that its operations are being carried out under existing rules and that 7,000 additional buses have been arranged to meet the festive rush.
The clarification came after BRS leader and former minister T Harish Rao accused the state government of burdening passengers with higher fares and reducing regular services to operate buses as festival specials.
In a statement on Sunday, TGSRTC said festival-period fares were being regulated in accordance with a government order issued in 2003, with revisions based on passenger demand. The corporation rejected the allegation that it had imposed unauthorised fare increases.
Harish Rao had alleged that passengers were being charged higher fares on special services while the number of regular buses was reduced. Citing examples, he claimed that a ticket from Jubilee Bus Station in Hyderabad to Karimnagar, which normally costs Rs 230, was being sold for Rs 400. He also cited an increase from Rs 220 to Rs 290 on services between Mahbubnagar and Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station.
TGSRTC, however, maintained that regular services had not been curtailed. It said 7,000 additional buses had been arranged across Telangana to help people travel to their hometowns during the festival.
According to the corporation, 97 per cent of the additional services scheduled since October 10 had been operated. Senior officials were also reviewing services to monitor passenger demand and address complaints, it said.
The corporation added that the Mahalakshmi scheme, which provides free bus travel for women, continued to operate across the state. It said measures were in place to ensure that women beneficiaries could use the scheme without inconvenience.
The dispute comes amid heavy passenger demand during the Bathukamma and Dasara festive period, when large numbers of people travel from Hyderabad and other urban centres to their hometowns.