Road Transport Corporations which could not induct buses owing to the financial crisis caused by the pandemic were hoping the State government would provide allocations to induct 6,000 buses. However, in his 2022-23 Budget speech on Friday, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai made no specific announcement on this. The fact that Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation was ignored in the budget has irked activists who have been fighting for a robust affordable bus network in the city.
Vinay Sreenivas of Bus Pryanikara Vedike which had demanded free bus passes for women and an augmentation to BMTC’s fleet said, “The budget evokes a deep sense of betrayal for the common people of Bengaluru. Ordinary people and their daily concerns or survival linked to mobility has not been given it’s rightful attention by the government. There was absolutely no mention of bus transport and no allocation of funds for BMTC, which is the city’s lifeline, and no reduction of fares.” After holding a public hearing, the Vedike had recently submitted a set of petitions to the government demanding Rs.1,000 crore allocation for the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC).
Sriniva Alivilli from Janagraha expressed a similar sentiment. “It is very unfortunate that BMTC, which caters to the needs of lakhs of commuters, did not find any support from the government. Even if it had received a portion of the budget proposed for the metro project, many people could have benefitted. BMTC has more reach than Namma Metro in the city.”
In his budget, the CM has said that for the four RTCs in the State, Rs.1,953 crore had been provided in 2020-21 and Rs.1,208 crore in 2021-22. A majority of these allocation was made towards payment of salaries of staff.
