Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) staff and Workers’ Federation have written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urging him to implement the electoral promise made by Congress of free travel to women in government buses, reported ANI.
The federation wrote to the CM saying that the scheme is yet to be implemented, and claimed that there are incidents where bus passengers are refusing to buy tickets.
“This development has led to altercations between passengers and bus conductors. Hence, we request you to implement the free bus pass for women passengers soon to avoid such confusion,” wrote D.A. Vijay Bhaskar, chief secretary of the federation, as quoted by The Hindu.
While announcing the fifth poll “guarantee” ahead of the May 10 elections, the party promised that it will make travel free for women in public transport buses, once it was voted to power.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had also mentioned it in his poll speeches, as well as during the swearing-in ceremony of the Chief Minister in Bengaluru.
“PM says Congress party will not fulfil its guarantees. We have given you (people) four guarantees and they will be implemented on the first day, in the first cabinet meeting. Modi ji, you said four guarantees will not be fulfilled, I’m adding more to it. We will not fulfil four guarantees on the first day, but will fulfil five,” Rahul Gandhi had said in April at a public meeting in Mangaluru.
“We will add another guarantee to four existing guarantees. It will be for women. Modi ji, listen carefully, as soon as Congress comes to power, on the very first day the fifth guarantee will also be implemented — women across Karnataka will travel free in public transport buses,” he had said.