Andhra Pradesh and Telangana hike bus fares during ‘Sankranti’ festival

We know how State Governments are plundering the wealth of Hindu temples such as Tirumala Tirupati; again it is the Hindus who are being plundered in the name of ‘special’ additional travel arrangements !

Hindus should wake up against such discrimination based on religion at least now and protest against such rate hikes by State transports and Railways. Hindus should also demand that Governments provide ample facilities and means for smooth celebration of Hindu festivals.

Hyderabad (Telangana) – Governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana always do ‘something’ for ‘minority welfare’ to get their votes. They provide subsidies to Muslims for Haj travel and Christians to travel to Jerusalem and other trips. They also provide honorariums to Christian priests, Maulvis and Mullahs in madarasas. There are innumerable ‘schemes’ to ‘uplift’ minority Christians and Muslims.

However, when it is time for Hindu festivals, Hindus have to shell out more for their travel during festivals such as Sankranti. As per reports, the South Central Railway (SCR) and the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) operated additional services for the convenience of passengers during the festival and provided advance reservation facility.

Buses were operated to Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and other destinations from Vijayawada, Bhimavaram, Kakinada, Tirupati, Anantapur, Visakhapatnam and other places, an officer said adding that the Corporation collected 50% extra fare on all special services.

Capitalising on the holiday passenger rush to Andhra Pradesh for Sankranti, the TSRTC as well as private bus operators hiked ticket fares. While the TSRTC increased fares by 50%, a cursory search for tickets on web portals of popular travel agencies reveals that they are charging four times the normal fare.