Pvt bus owners, staff stage protest against 'Shakti' scheme

The owners and staff of private buses staged a protest in Tumakuru on Tuesday opposing the state government’s 'Shakti scheme' that provides free bus service to women in government buses.

The owners pasted 'Private buses are on sale' posters on the buses and demanded the government address their concerns.

Tumakuru district alone has more than 300 private bus services that provide connectivity to rural areas, including Kunigal, Madhugiri and Pavagada from the district headquarters.

The protesters charged that the 'Shakti scheme' will reduce their revenue by 50 per cent and sustaining the business will become impossible.

Read | Karnataka govt issues orders for 'Shakti' scheme offering women free bus rides with conditions attached

"We will be left with only two options: Either stop providing service to the rural areas where the KSRTC is unable to provide bus connectivity or sell off our buses,” said District Private Owners’ Association president M S Shankarnarayan.

The members of the association demanded the government extend free travel for women in private buses also and reimburse the ticket fares to private bus owners. Or the state government should reduce tax collected from the private bus owners, they said.

"Once in every three months, the government collects Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 from the private bus owners as taxes. We also pay other charges to the government, which is becoming a huge burden for us. Now, our revenue will take a serious hit with the introduction of the 'Shakti Scheme' as women will prefer government buses over ours,” Shankarnarayan said.

He said the private bus owners, who were recovering from the Covid jolt, have been given another shock by the government. “Each bus provides a livelihood to 15 to 20 families. If this is snatched away from us, the government will be pushing hundreds of families to distress,” he said.