Even though the Mumbai locals have resumed for the general public, due to restraints in timings, several people have to use the services of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to traverse across the city.
In view of the rising prices of fuel, on Tuesday, February 9, Transport Minister Anil Parab stated that he is to make a decision with regards to the fare hike for the people using the services of MSRTC.
In February 2020, diesel was priced at INR 66 per litre. In February 2021, the same rate reached INR 79. At present, the ST Corporation consumes 9 lakh litres of diesel per day and the price of diesel has been increased. Therefore, ST Corporation has to bear an additional burden of INR 1 crores per day as compared to last year.
The accumulated loss of ST has gone beyond INR 5,000 crores. Considering the financial losses incurred by the corporation during the lockdown, the losses incurred by the corporation are estimated to increase by another INR 1,000 crores. Therefore, in order to increase the income, the fare will have to be increased for some time to come. However, the exact amount will be decided at a meeting of the board of directors. At the same time, the legal aspects are being examined before applying the 'flexible ticket price' in the ST.
On the other hand, the MSRTC had earlier announced its decision to discontinue free transport for the employees working in essential services, which it has been giving for the past few months due to the outbreak of the coronavirus and the closure of operations.
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