29/04/2026
Sajad Lone criticizes Govt over 18% fare hike, Accuses NC of “Extracting” relief from poor
Says "Govt took from one pocket of the poor, Didn't put it in the other"
Srinagar, April 29: Peoples Conference President and MLA Handwara, Sajad Gani Lone, on Wednesday sharply criticized the ruling National Conference government over the recent 18% hike in public transport fares, accusi that the burden of its economic policies is being shifted onto the working class.
Reacting to the fare increase, Lone underscored its disproportionate impact on lower-income groups. “In the context of the 18% fare hike, I want to place on record that this increase will adversely affect the poor. The rich don’t use public transport,” he said.
Linking the hike to fiscal decisions, Lone pointed to what he described as policy inconsistency, noting that the government had announced a rebate on diesel cess in the 2025–26 budget but reversed the move in 2026–27.
He argued that making diesel costlier created the conditions for the fare hike despite assurances to the contrary, adding that such measures inevitably ripple down to the most vulnerable.
Lone recalled his intervention during the previous Assembly session, where he had questioned the feasibility of the government’s promise of free gas cylinders.
According to Lone, the initial commitment of 12 cylinders annually to 14 lakh Economically Weaker Section households was scaled down to six cylinders for only two lakh Antyodaya Anna Yojana beneficiaries. He maintained that the cost of such scaled-back subsidies was indirectly recovered from the poor through measures like increased transport fares.
“During my submissions, I reiterated that if the government does provide free cylinders, the cost will be extracted from the poor, not the rich,” he said, adding that the withdrawal of diesel relief was a clear indicator of this trajectory.
In a pointed critique of the administration’s economic approach, Lone remarked that the government was effectively “taking money from one pocket of the poor without placing it in the other.”
He concluded with a stinging observation, saying the “joke is on those economically poor who voted believing the government would deliver relief.”
