Congress to hold protests across Himachal Pradesh on 7 October, demanding withdrawal of bus fare hike

Shimla: The Congress in Himachal Pradesh will hold protests across the state on 7 October against the hike in bus fares effected by the Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government. In a press note issued here on Tuesday, the chairman of Himachal Pradesh Congress Media Department, Naresh Chauhan, demanded withdrawal of the fare hike announced on 24 September. [caption id=“attachment_5220671” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] Protests will be held at block and district levels, he said. The state-level demonstration will be held in Shimla and Congress leaders will thereafter go to the Raj Bhawan to submit a memorandum to the Governor demanding withdrawal of the bus fare hike. Flaying the state government’s decision to increase the fare by 24.44 percent in plain areas and 20.69 percent in hilly region, he said the state should have opted for reducing Value Added Tax (VAT) on petroleum products instead of hiking the bus fare. Chauhan also criticised the Thakur government for hiking the minimum bus fare from Rs three to Rs six.