Imphal: Students protesting against passenger fare hike confronted the police who tried to disperse them in Imphal on Friday.
Alleging that the hike in the passenger fare has adversely affected them, students of Manipur College in Imphal came out on the street and shouted various slogans demanding reduction in the fare. Due to the protest, normal traffic flow along the busy Mayailambi inter-district road was halted. A confrontation broke out when the police tried to disperse the protesting students. In the melee, a student fainted and was hospitalized. The situation calmed down following intervention by the local womenfolk who talked with the students.
Talking to reporters, leaders of the protesting students alleged unprecedented fare hike has adversely affected the students. They alleged transporters fixing the fare at their own will as if there is no authority of the government to fix the fare.
Schools and colleges which remained closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic were reopened recently after a long gap. “However, students are in a situation unable to attend classes owing to passenger fare hike beyond the students’ affordable limit”, a student leader alleged.
The transporters are charging exorbitant fares, according to students who said that the state Transport department is doing nothing to check the unreasonable hike in the fare. The students further alleged that despite repeated requests from the students’ bodies to fix the fare by the state Transport department, not was materialised. “Negligence on the part of the concerned authorities in addressing the demands compelled the students to come out on the street to stage the protest”, the protesting student leader also said.
NNN