Feeble protest against fare hike

AHMEDABAD, Oct 26: The city fathers approved the transport committee proposal for a 25 per cent increase in bus fares at the AMC general ...

AHMEDABAD, Oct 26: The city fathers approved the transport committee proposal for a 25 per cent increase in bus fares at the AMC general board meeting on Tuesday. The Opposition made only a feeble protest and did not walk out over the hefty hike.

In fact, the atmosphere was quite congenial, as though the Opposition had learnt its lesson from its experience of September 24. Opposition Congress leader Himmatsinh Patel blamed the ruling party for not asking for grants from the State Government for running auxiliary services like hospitals and transport.

Transport committee chairman Hasmukh Barot and standing committee chairman Dharmendra Shah were sitting together, but it was the latter who replied to most of the objections. Shah told Patel that during 1981-86 when the Congress was in power, rates were revised six times while 8220;we have revised rates only twice in five years8221;.

Shah was asked to clarify what necessitated the hike and if it was the financial burden due to diesel price hike how was the recovery planned? Shah said the burden would be Rs 30 crore while the recovery would be only 10 crore.

Former Mayor Lalji Parmar said the money generated through hike would be used in paying DA and other dues. The Opposition was told that its nominee in the transport committee did not oppose the hike proposal.

Congress councillor Surendra Baxi and Badruddin Shaikh alleged that the routes of Ahmedabad city buses were fixed on political grounds when Dharmendra Shah said that 40 new buses wuold to be introduced on city roads during Diwali.

Hasan Khan Pathan said V S Hospital should not charge visitors for meeting patients as it was against the stipulations by donors. Independent councillor Yusuf Saiyed complained that the Mayor declared completion of zero hour despite his name being in the list of speakers and he was yet to speak. He said later that he had wanted say that V S Hospital should not be treated by Mayors as their personal fiefdom just because they happened to head its board of management ex officio.

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Liyaqat Ghori deplored the growing trend of giving away reserved plots to private parties and councillors on token rent as they were found using for commercial purposes. 8220;This is being done just to oblige friends of ruling party members8221;, he alleged.

Samuben Nadia spent most of her time shouting at ruling party members for their 8220;corrupt8221; practices and said they would be incurring the wrath of God for harassing the people.