HRCTC Solan Conductor Charges Half Fare for Overweight Luggage
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Shimla, September 3: In a bold demonstration of dissent against the state government’s recent policy changes, an HRTC (Himachal Road Transport Corporation) conductor from Solan has charged only half the fare for a bag weighing over 2.5 kilograms. Remarkably, no extra charge was levied for carrying 15 kilograms of baggage during air travel.
Conductor Bobby, citing the new directives of the MDR HRTC, made a statement by partially issuing the ticket. On September 2nd, a bus (HP-14A-6375) scheduled to depart from Solan to Piran Thund at three in the afternoon had a passenger intending to send medicines to a patient. Initially, the driver and conductor refused to allow the envelope on board. After repeated requests, conductor Bobby reluctantly issued a half ticket and collected 60 rupees. Upon reaching Piran Thund, when the bag was weighed, it amounted to 2 kilograms and 65 grams. Similarly, senior citizen and retired army personnel K.D. Sharma from Piran Village recounted that such incidents have occurred multiple times with him.
It should be noted that just a few days ago, in the same bus, a paint bucket weighing 10 liters was fully ticketed. Looking at the possibility of rain, the conductor did not allow the bucket inside. Eventually, the ticket was issued after the passenger protested, and a charge was imposed. Both Dayaram Verma, former head of Piran, and K.D. Sharma express that employees seem determined to thwart this route.
As per the revised fare rates issued by MDR HRTC on August 21, 2023, a passenger can now carry 30 kilograms of luggage free of cost. Even a box filled with apples, weighing 20 kilograms, incurs no charge. The total fare for a box filled with flowers has been fixed at 1/5th of the actual charge. Conductor’s mention of these new orders seems to be more about damaging the corporation’s image than adhering to them. R.M. HRTC Solan, Priya Ranjan Chauhan, highlighted the need for conductors to cooperate and assured that this matter would be investigated thoroughly.
