The bus fares in Himachal Pradesh may be hiked by nearly 20 percent, with the transport department footing the proposal to pull the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) out of the financial crunch.

If introduced, this would be the second bus fare hike during the present BJP government after it had hiked the fares by 25 per cent in 2008 and then reduced them by 10 per cent this year.

While the existing fare per km in HRTC buses is 83.25 paise, the government is now considering a proposal to increase the fare across the state to Rs 1 per km.

Significantly, the state government had introduced new buses in Shimla under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) last month, which had a fare of Rs 1 per km. While the minimum fare is Rs 5 in JNNURM buses, other buses, including private and HRTC, are charging a minimum fare of Rs 2.

The latest proposal, though will bring parity in bus fares across the state, is likely to be opposed by all quarters, especially when the public ire against the hike in fare of JNNURM buses has not yet subsided.

The government had introduced nearly 75 buses under JNNURM for operation within the 30 km radius of Shimla.

Sources said the transport department has forwarded the proposal to the government and it is under active consideration. HRTC Regional Manager Deva Sen Negi said, “The government has notified the rates on lines of bigger cities and it is earning good revenue for HRTC. However, I cannot comment on the basis for charging higher fares in new buses.”

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