The Central University of Kashmir located in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district has increased the bus fare by Rs 600 at one go, leaving students high and dry.
This is the second hike in the span of 7 months.
In August last year, the CUK increased the bus fare by Rs 150 and now in March Rs 600 have further been increased. A student availing the bus service of the University has to pay Rs 2250 on monthly basis.
“This is injustice towards us. Already people have suffered badly due to the Covid-19 and now this huge hike in one go has added to our woes,” said a group of students.
“Distance is not a parameter. For every route the fare is the same,” they added.
The Central University of Kashmir offers bus services to students living in far-off places. Earlier the bus fare as per students was reasonable but now it is a burden.
The buses ply on the routes like Lal Bazar, Khanyar, Nowgam, Hyderpora, Soura etc.
Transport In-charge CUK Mr Sakib said that the decision to increase the bus fare came from the top. “There is nothing I can do in this regard,” he added.
However, Registrar CUK, Ganderbal Mr Muhammad Afzal Zargar told news agency KNT that he understands the problem of the students and he will try to resolve the issue.
“Bus fare was low as we had local funds. Due to paucity of funds, we have increased the fare but this fare is not permanent. You have to understand that the buses we provide do not come from any Ministry or UGC. We charge for fuel consumption only. As the number of students will increase, we will decrease the bus fare,” the Registrar said. (KNT)