Ex-CM Bommai blames Congress govt for hike in power tariff

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Rebutting Congress claims that the decision to hike the power tariff was taken by the previous BJP government, former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said his government did not hike the tariff and the orders were issued by the incumbent Congress government. The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission(KERC) had submitted a proposal to hike the power tariff in March but the BJP government did not give permission for this.

The tariff has been hiked with retrospective effect from April and this would be a big burden on citizens, he said The former CM demanded that buses must be provided for the convenience of school children to ensure their safety. The previous BJP government had issued orders in this regard and earmarked funds in the state budget. The ‘mismanagement’ of the transport and energy sectors would result in the stoppage of transport services and electricity supply, he felt.

The ex-CM said it is the duty of KSRTC to make arrangements for the operation of buses on all routes according to the schedule. The government is free to do whatever it wants for women in the name of freebies but routes have been cancelled and the number of buses has been reduced, he said.

School kids are facing a lot of problems and are traveling on the footboard of buses. A school student came under the wheels of a bus when she accidentally fell from the moving vehicle in Hangal Taluk. Incidents of this nature must not take place in future, he said