College students protest hike in bus pass fare

BANGALORE: The increase in bus pass fare is a definitely a matter of concern for all those students who travel by buses every day.No wonder then they decided to stage a dharna to protest the increase in fare. The students, with the help of Student Federation of India (SFI), gathered at Makkala Koota Circle near Chamarajpet to make their voices heard.More than 300 students from various colleges participated in the protest. They wanted the government to reduce bus pass fare and also issue free bus passes for economically poor students.Last year, the government had promised that there won't be any increase in fare for a period of three years.In fact, the central government had given in writing that they would never increase bus pass fare. But now without any notice there is this hike. ''The government is giving crores to corporate houses and private finance companies. Why can't they issue free passes to students who are called tomorrow's future," said of one the students."We've to do something about this hike because not too many students can afford to pay that much," remarked another student.Anant, another student, added, "My father is an auto rickshaw driver and is struggling hard to make the two ends meet. I seriously feel that the government should think twice before thinking about doing something like this." Their other demands were: The government must issue free pass from Karnataka to states such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu.Students with passes should be allowed to travel at least 100 km.