Excelsior Correspondent
SAMBA, Feb 17: People of Utterbeni and surrounding areas today held a protest demonstration at Vijaypur Chowk on Jammu-Pathankote National Highway alleging exorbitant hike in fare by the commercial vehicles including buses plying on Utterbeni-Vijaypur road.
Hundreds of people from Utterbeni and surrounding areas took out a rally and tried to block the vehicular movement at Main Chowk Vijaypur. But the protestors were refrained by the heavy deployment of police personnel.
Later they boarding tractor trolleys and other mode or transport proceeded towards DC Office Samba and held a protest demonstration there demanding plying of SRTC buses on the said route for the convenience of the people.
Raising slogans in favour of their demands, the protestors alleged that the mini-buses plying on Utterbeni-Vijaypur road are charging extra fare from the people.
One of the protestor hailing from Utterbeni Sham Singh alleged that the fare of the mini-buses from Vijaypur to Utterbeni was hiked by Rs 5 from Rs 11.
Before the recent hike in the fare, mini-bus owners use to charge Rs 11 from Utterbeni to Vijaypur and vice-versa and now they are charging Rs 16, which is grave injustice with the people, he added.
“Hike of Rs 5 is un-justified. If there is increase of 14 per cent in the recently hiked fare of the mini-buses, how mini-bus owners are charging Rs 16 to the people, which was earlier Rs 11. This shows that there is a nexus between concerned authorities and the mini-bus owners”, Sham Singh alleged.
The protestors urged the DC Samba to look into the matter personally and redress the issue at the earliest for the benefit of the people.
Member Legislative Assembly (MLA) Yash Pal Kundal also reached the spot and assured the protestors that he will take up the issue at appropriate platform for early redressal.
Later, the protestors met RTO Samba and took up the issue with him. RTO also assured early redressal to their demand. On this assurance they dispersed.
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