Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Tuesday attacked the state government over the hike in ticket fares of MSRTC buses and demanded immediate withdrawal of the decision.
"The BJP alliance government, which showered promises on the public during the assembly elections, has begun exploiting the people as soon as it came to power," he said.
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation had on Friday approved a 14.95% hike in bus fares.
"The government, already failing miserably at controlling inflation, has now burdened the common people by increasing ticket fares," Patole said.
He alleged that though there are ST bus services in every corner of the state, the corporation is unable to provide proper services. "The poor management of the ST Corporation has left common passengers in the state to suffer".
He said in rural areas, the condition of ST buses is deplorable, and even the Shivshahi buses introduced under the scheme are in poor shape.
"If Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik himself claims to have no knowledge of this fare hike, then why should he remain in his position? It is shocking that the minister is unaware of what is happening in his department. Officials who made this decision without consulting the minister should be suspended," Patole said.
The Congress leader further alleged that the transport minister seems more interested in handing over the ST Corporation's 1,360 hectares of land to builders.
Claiming that the ST Corporation has become a hub of corruption, Patole said eliminating this corruption would eliminate the need for a fare hike.
He also raised the Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) being reported in the state and demanded that the public health department take immediate steps to prevent the spread of this disease and create awareness through necessary precautions.
"Reports from the media suggest that a patient in Solapur has died due to this disease. Over 100 people in the state are reported to have contracted the disease, with 13 patients on ventilators," he said, adding the government must act on a war footing to control the spread.
"Contaminated water and unhygienic conditions are believed to cause this disease. Despite 11 years of campaigns like 'Har Ghar Nal, Har Nal Mein Jal' and 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan', if clean water is still not available, one must conclude that these initiatives exist only in advertisements," said the Congress leader.
