Karnataka Announces Free Intra-state Bus Travel For Migrant Labourers Wanting To Return To Their Native Districts 

The Karnataka government today (May 3) announced that migrant labourers returning home could travel for free for the next three days on intra-state buses.

Acoording to a official release by the Chief Minister's Office, the decision to permit free trips in the state buses would be applicable till Tuesday and KSRTC buses would not charge any fares to migrant labourers wanting to return to their native districts within the state.

On Saurday, Karnataka government had announced that it will charge only one-way fare for ferrying migrant workers in buses to their native places across the state.

"Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has directed the state-run transport corporation to charge migrant workers only one-way fare for commuting to their native places," the official said in a statement on Saturday.

The decision was taken after the migrant workers complained to the state government that the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) was charging them to and fro fare as the buses will return to the depots empty after dropping them at their respective places.

In the last week of April, KSRTC faciliated the return of at least 15,000 stranded migrant labourers from the state to their home towns by plying 518 exclusive buses for them.

The state has also limited the number of passengers. Each bus with a capacity of 55 passengers will run with 30 people. Though the idea is to maintain distance between individuals during the travel, the government has charged the migrants for the vacant seats