The High Court of Karnataka on Friday directed the state government to consider, within two months, a plea by private transport firms to extend the Shakti Scheme offering free bus travel for women to their buses as well.
The single judge bench of Justice S R Krishna Kumar disposed of a petition filed by private bus operators in Udupi district who had made such a plea.
The petition said the Shakti Yojane “can be extended to private stage carriage operators also”, and a representation in this regard was made to the chief minister and deputy chief minister and other ministers but there has been no positive outcome.
The petition claimed that private operators run services in mountainous and hilly areas and valleys, which are not otherwise easily accessible, as some of these routes do not have KSRTC bus services.
“Although the cost of running a state carriage bus is very high, the private operators are providing good services to the passengers at large on different routes throughout Karnataka and even in a number of routes where there are no KSRTC buses,” the court was informed.
The petition claimed that after the launch of the free bus services for women in state transport buses, private operators are suffering losses.
“Within two days (after) the Shakti Yojane came into effect from 11.6.2023, private operators are heavily and severely facing loss without any passengers, and the services which are in operation for more than 50 to 60 years on the route are in question,” the petitioner said.
