TMT fare hike plan stuck as ruling, opposition bicker

THANE: The debt-ridden Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) may continue to reel under financial crisis as the proposed fare hike is likely to be delayed inordinately owing to the political tussle between the ruling Shiv-Sena-BJP and Congress-NCP members in the civic body.
Last week, the general body hastily approved the administration’s proposal of a hike in the transport fare but leader of opposition in the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) Hanumant Jagdale refused to sign the proposal.The veteran NCP leader in TMC has accused the Sena leadership of clearing proposals without a detailed discussion on the subjects.
A civic official said, “Jagdale has refused to sign the cleared proposal. Without the necessary signature, cleared proposals cannot be implemented.”
Despite repeated attempts, Jagdale was unavailable for comment.
With an aim to bridge the widening gap between the expenses and income, the TMC had proposed a transport fare hike. In fact, the general body had approved minimum Rs 2 and maximum Rs 5 hike to improve the financial position of its transport wing. However, the proposal cannot be forwarded to the transport wing for administrative procedures without Jagdale’s signature, said the official.
Nearly 2.55 lakh passengers use TMT buses on a daily basis. The TMT, which plies 311 buses on over 68 routes is running into losses of Rs 4.5 lakh daily on services alone.
Transport experts said that of the total operational routes, merely seven to 10 are breaking even or earning profits, while the rest are running into losses.
If the proposed hike is implemented, then the minimum fare of TMT buses will be Rs 7 instead of the existing Rs 5.