RTA part rejects Aapli bus fare hike proposal

Nagpur: The burden on the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to fund Aapli bus for its smooth operations will continue for some more days after the Regional Transport Authority (RTA), headed by chairman and collector Ashwin Mudgal, partly rejected a proposal by the civic body to raise fares.
“The proposed fares for Aapli bus are much higher than the maximum rates prescribed for urban transport service by the state government,” Mudgal told TOI. He said though the RTA has given its nod to hike fares of five slabs, it has asked the NMC to approach State Transport Authority (STA) to implement the hike in the rest 20 slabs.

Sources in the RTA said following a nod from the general body and transport committee, the NMC had submitted a proposal to hike city bus fares by 25% before the RTA through Nagpur city RTO Bajrang Kharmate, who is a secretary in the authority.

The hike became inevitable after diesel prices went up many times in the last one year. The NMC had increased the fares last in September 2014.

Due to delay in approval, the NMC’s transport department has not been able to revise the fares in time. The transport committee gave its approval in August itself for the increase in fares. But the House gave it's nod in September.

Sources say that due to casual approach of the transport department, the already cash-strapped NMC will have to continue to fund the Aapli bus service. Sources further pointed out that on December 20, 2005, the state government had issued guidelines for deciding minimum and maximum fares. However, the NMC’s transport department ignored the guidelines and decided to hike fares exorbitantly.

Of the 25 different slabs, the NMC had already reached maximum limit in 18 slabs in 2014. But the transport department again hiked the fares and exceeded the fare slab fixed by the government.

As per 2005 guidelines, the RTA has no power to give nod to excess fares so it has given green signal to hike fares in five slabs only — between 2km -4 km and 10 km-12 km.

A senior official from NMC’s transport department said a decision whether to approach the STA will be taken after studying the minutes of RTA meeting. However, the officer said it won’t implement the fare hike in the five slabs that the RTA has given nod to.