Srikakulam : Telugu Desam Party leaders, including Zilla Parishad Chairman, Y.V. Suryanarayana, MLA Kambala Jogulu, district unit party president Tammineni Sitaram and general secretary Kalamata Venkataramana on Tuesday criticised the Congress Government for increasing RTC fares and demanded immediate rollback of the same.

Speaking to newsmen at the party office here, Mr. Sitaram termed as `cruel' the Government stand that the fare hike was the decision of the RTC's governing body.

If fares were increased like this, a day would not be far away when people would have to travel either by cycle or walk because they could not afford the fares, he said.

Apology sought

He recalled how Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, as opposition leader, had raised a hue and cry about privatisation of RTC.

The TDP leaders demanded a clear statement from the Chief Minister about his Government's stand on privatisation of RTC.

The Chief Minister was backtracking on all his assurances made during his `padayatra'. He should admit that he could not implement those promises and tender an apology to the public, the TDP leader said.

Rasta-roko staged

Vizianagaram Correspondent writes: The TDP and the CPI(M) organised `rasta-roko' at Mayuri junction and RTC complex respectively on Tuesday to protest against the fare hike. Vehicular traffic on the busy road was paralysed between 11 a.m. and 12 noon. TDP Polit Bureau member P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju said that the Congress Government had violated its poll-eve promise once again by allowing fare hike on all services of RTC.

CPI(M) leader M. Suryanarayana said that the hike would burden people, particularly the poor, and suggested the Government to find and alternative such as increasing occupancy ratio and withdrawal of permits issued to private operators on profitable routes of RTC. He said that the CPI(M) would continue its stir till the fare hike was rolled back.

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