DMK President Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi has criticised the steep increase in rail passenger and freight fares, saying it would hit the people hard.
While the passenger fare increase would amount to a direct burden, the high freight tariff would push up the prices of essential commodities, he said in a statement on June 21.
Kalaignar in a statement on June 21 said,
“Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that he would undo all the “mistakes” of the United Progressive Alliance government and took steps for certain changes following the announcement, but there was no major change in the way the government approached the issues of the people though the ruling party at the Centre changed, be it the relationship with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, the continuing attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy on Tamil Nadu fishermen, the government’s stand on the language for communication and diesel price hike and now railway fare hike in that series! The date of the presentation of the Union Budget of the new Central government has been announced following which the Railway budget would also be presented. At this stage, the government hastened to declare a 14.2 per cent increase in passenger fares and a 6.5 per cent increase in freight rates. Though the UPA government decided to increase the rates, it chose not to implement the decision. About the fare hike the present Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda has said that he is “releasing this announcement for implementing the fare hike brought by the previous government. Except that the order for temporarily withholding the order of the previous government being withdrawn, this is not the decision of the new government”.
The BJP government has assumed office only by telling that the bad precedents of the previous regime would be removed. When experts had opined that issues like the gradual withdrawal of diesel subsidy, monthly price hike for kerosene, price hike for urea and Food Security Bill could be reviewed and in the circumstances of date of presentation of the budget been announced, announcing in haste passenger fare hike that too up to 14.2 percent will very much affect the lives of the poor, downtrodden and middle class people.
Immediately after the railway fare hike of the Centre is released, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha has condemned it and issued a lengthy statement demanding withdrawal of the hike. While reading Jayalalitha’s contention that the poor, downtrodden and middle class people travelling in trains will be severely affected due to the present fare hike, the prices of essential commodities, vegetables and fruits will increase manifold and this hike will pave way for further increase in inflation. It is not possible to avoid being reminded of what this same Jayalalitha did within a few days of assuming office affecting poor, downtrodden and middle class people to a great extent.
It was Jayalalitha who hiked fare of 28 paise per km collected during the previous DMK rule for ordinary mofussil buses to 42 paise, 32 paise per km for express and semi-delux mofussil buses to 56 paise and 38 paise per km for super delux and delux mofussil buses to 60 paise. If this was the condition for mofussil buses, for town buses except for Chennai, minimum fare of Rs.2 was increased to Rs. 3 by Jayalalitha regime. The maximum fare of Rs. 7 was fixed as Rs.12 by Jayalalitha. For Chennai city buses, she hiked minimum fare of Rs.2 during DMK rule to Rs.3 and maximum fare of Rs.12 to Rs.14.
Thinking that the people of Tamil Nadu would have forgotten all these and with the pride that only forgetting that they had voted to a large extent in the just concluded Parliamentary elections, she has issued a statement condemning the railway fare hike by the Centre and tried to hoodwink the people of Tamil Nadu as if she has never resorted to fare hikes.
As all parties condemned the increase and considering the hardship it would cause the poor, the BJP government should announce withdrawal of it in order to reduce burden on the poor, downtrodden and middle class people and to prevent increase in the prices of essential commodities.”
While the passenger fare increase would amount to a direct burden, the high freight tariff would push up the prices of essential commodities, he said in a statement on June 21.
Kalaignar in a statement on June 21 said,
“Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that he would undo all the “mistakes” of the United Progressive Alliance government and took steps for certain changes following the announcement, but there was no major change in the way the government approached the issues of the people though the ruling party at the Centre changed, be it the relationship with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, the continuing attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy on Tamil Nadu fishermen, the government’s stand on the language for communication and diesel price hike and now railway fare hike in that series! The date of the presentation of the Union Budget of the new Central government has been announced following which the Railway budget would also be presented. At this stage, the government hastened to declare a 14.2 per cent increase in passenger fares and a 6.5 per cent increase in freight rates. Though the UPA government decided to increase the rates, it chose not to implement the decision. About the fare hike the present Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda has said that he is “releasing this announcement for implementing the fare hike brought by the previous government. Except that the order for temporarily withholding the order of the previous government being withdrawn, this is not the decision of the new government”.
The BJP government has assumed office only by telling that the bad precedents of the previous regime would be removed. When experts had opined that issues like the gradual withdrawal of diesel subsidy, monthly price hike for kerosene, price hike for urea and Food Security Bill could be reviewed and in the circumstances of date of presentation of the budget been announced, announcing in haste passenger fare hike that too up to 14.2 percent will very much affect the lives of the poor, downtrodden and middle class people.
Immediately after the railway fare hike of the Centre is released, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha has condemned it and issued a lengthy statement demanding withdrawal of the hike. While reading Jayalalitha’s contention that the poor, downtrodden and middle class people travelling in trains will be severely affected due to the present fare hike, the prices of essential commodities, vegetables and fruits will increase manifold and this hike will pave way for further increase in inflation. It is not possible to avoid being reminded of what this same Jayalalitha did within a few days of assuming office affecting poor, downtrodden and middle class people to a great extent.
It was Jayalalitha who hiked fare of 28 paise per km collected during the previous DMK rule for ordinary mofussil buses to 42 paise, 32 paise per km for express and semi-delux mofussil buses to 56 paise and 38 paise per km for super delux and delux mofussil buses to 60 paise. If this was the condition for mofussil buses, for town buses except for Chennai, minimum fare of Rs.2 was increased to Rs. 3 by Jayalalitha regime. The maximum fare of Rs. 7 was fixed as Rs.12 by Jayalalitha. For Chennai city buses, she hiked minimum fare of Rs.2 during DMK rule to Rs.3 and maximum fare of Rs.12 to Rs.14.
Thinking that the people of Tamil Nadu would have forgotten all these and with the pride that only forgetting that they had voted to a large extent in the just concluded Parliamentary elections, she has issued a statement condemning the railway fare hike by the Centre and tried to hoodwink the people of Tamil Nadu as if she has never resorted to fare hikes.
As all parties condemned the increase and considering the hardship it would cause the poor, the BJP government should announce withdrawal of it in order to reduce burden on the poor, downtrodden and middle class people and to prevent increase in the prices of essential commodities.”
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