Bus fares to go up in Uttar Pradesh

The decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

The expenditure of the UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC), including salary, allowance, fuel and spare parts has increased by around 39 per cent in the last three years.

In the wake of increasing cost, a proposal to hike fares of general service of UPSRTC buses from 60 paise per km to 70 paise per km.

Similarly, the fare of city bus service would be hiked from Rs 1.5 per km to Rs 1.6 per km.

A proposal to hike fares of private buses from 46 paise per passenger per km to 55 paise per km was also approved by the cabinet.

It was decided that taxi fare for the first km would be increased from Rs 7.6 to Rs 8.7 and after that Rs 4.1 would be charged for every 500 metre in place of Rs 3.65.

The cabinet also decided to scrap Bhimrao Ambedkar tubewell schemes (special component plan) and Dr Ambedkar collective tubewell scheme for construction of tubewells and launch a new scheme Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Community Tubewell scheme.

Under the scheme, SC/ST dominated farmers group would get a maximum grant of Rs 5 lakh for construction of tubewell, whereas the group of general category dominated by small and marginal farmers would get a grant of Rs 3.92 lakh.

The cabinet fixed the policy to run schemes of minor irrigation department in a new form in the coming years.

It also decided to upgrade Etawah-Mainpuri state highway to four lane on public private partnership. The 82.25 km long highway would be upgraded at a cost of Rs 36,130 lakh.