Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 7: BJP strongly criticized the Omar Abdullah-led NC Government in Jammu & Kashmir over the recent 18 percent hike in transport fares, terming the decision as illogical and anti-people, in a press conference held at the party Headquarters, Trikuta Nagar, here, today. Party leaders said that instead of imposing an additional burden on the common people through a steep fare hike, the Government should roll back the increased fuel prices, which would provide relief to transporters and protect citizens from further financial strain.
Dr. Abhijeet Jasrotia, spokesperson, J&K BJP, and Yudhvir Sethi, MLA Jammu East, accompanied by Ved Sharma, All Cells in charge, Ashutosh Mahajan, convenor Transport Cell, and Roshan Lal and Kamal Preet Singh, co-convenors of the Cell, addressed the press conference.
Dr. Abhijeet Jasrotia said that the fare hike imposed by the Omar Abdullah Government is illogical, insensitive and a direct betrayal of the promises made to the people of J&K in the 2024 election manifesto.
He said that instead of providing relief to the public, the Government has chosen to burden the already struggling common man, which will have a cascading effect on the prices of essential commodities. He said that once transport fares increase, the cost of goods and daily necessities automatically rises, thereby pushing the common citizen into further economic distress. He pointed out that students, daily wagers, labourers and families with limited and meagre incomes will be the worst affected, as they depend heavily on public transport for their daily needs.
Yudhvir Sethi, in his address, questioned the logic behind imposing the hike and said that when the Government has already collected huge revenues through increased fuel prices over the past one and a half years, there was absolutely no justification to impose an additional burden on the public. Presenting figures, he said that the Government collected around Rs 1675 crore in revenue last year from fuel price hikes, while it continues to earn nearly Rs 140 crore every month through the same. Despite such massive collections, the Government has chosen to squeeze the common man further by imposing an 18 percent fare hike, which clearly reflects its anti-people approach.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
