Thursday 17 November 2011
J. Jayalalithaa announced a steep hike in bus fares and milk price
Chief Minister Ms J. Jayalalithaa announced a steep hike on Thursday in bus fares and milk price, besides indicating a substantial upward revision in power tariff.
Starting Friday, Aavin milk will cost Rs 24 a litre, a hike of Rs 6.25, and the minimum bus fare in town will be Rs 3 instead of Rs 2. The maximum bus fare in Chennai will be Rs 14, not Rs 12, while the fare has increased from Rs 7 to Rs 12 in other towns.
Announcing cabinet decisions in an address on Jaya TV, Ms Jayalalithaa justified the hike — first in more than a decade — saying public sector units were on the brink of a collapse and prices in other southern states were still higher.
The Chief Minister said gross mismanagement by the previous DMK regime had made public sector undertakings bankrupt.
She also hit out at the Congress-led UPA at the Centre for meting out stepmotherly treatment to states ruled by other parties. Ms Jayalalithaa said UPA ally Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal recently received a special package of Rs 21,614 crore, but the Centre was sitting on a request for a similar package to TN.
Official sources said transport corporations were expected to generate an additional Rs 2,100 crore annually and Aavin Rs 130 crore after the revision enabling them to break even.
At present, the corporations sustain a loss of Rs 2,500 crore every year.
As on March 31, 2011, the accumulated loss of all eight transport corporations was Rs 6,150 crore, while that of TNEB was Rs 40,659 crore.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said TNEB would soon submit proposals for tariff revision and TNERC will decide on its quantum after eliciting public views.
Starting Friday, Aavin milk will cost Rs 24 a litre, a hike of Rs 6.25, and the minimum bus fare in town will be Rs 3 instead of Rs 2. The maximum bus fare in Chennai will be Rs 14, not Rs 12, while the fare has increased from Rs 7 to Rs 12 in other towns.
Announcing cabinet decisions in an address on Jaya TV, Ms Jayalalithaa justified the hike — first in more than a decade — saying public sector units were on the brink of a collapse and prices in other southern states were still higher.
The Chief Minister said gross mismanagement by the previous DMK regime had made public sector undertakings bankrupt.
She also hit out at the Congress-led UPA at the Centre for meting out stepmotherly treatment to states ruled by other parties. Ms Jayalalithaa said UPA ally Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal recently received a special package of Rs 21,614 crore, but the Centre was sitting on a request for a similar package to TN.
Official sources said transport corporations were expected to generate an additional Rs 2,100 crore annually and Aavin Rs 130 crore after the revision enabling them to break even.
At present, the corporations sustain a loss of Rs 2,500 crore every year.
As on March 31, 2011, the accumulated loss of all eight transport corporations was Rs 6,150 crore, while that of TNEB was Rs 40,659 crore.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said TNEB would soon submit proposals for tariff revision and TNERC will decide on its quantum after eliciting public views.
