PM Narendra Modi criticizes Telangana’s free bus scheme for impacting Hyderabad Metro

HYDERABAD:ย In a recent interview, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his concerns about the impact of free bus scheme provided Congress government in Telangana state on L&T.
PM Narendra Modi’s view on free bus scheme
“You build a metro in a city and then to win elections in the same city you promise free bus rides to women. This means you are taking away 50% of your metro passengers,” the PM Narendra Modi said in a veiled reference to Telangana CM Revanth Reddy’s free-bus-rides-for-women scheme which forced L&T to think about the exit from Hyderabad Metro.
๐๐จ๐๐ข ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ง ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐’๐ฌ ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ญ๐ซ๐จ
In an interview, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concerns about the impact of the free bus travel scheme for women in Congress-ruled states on Larsen &โฆ pic.twitter.com/ZS1E06RblW
โ Sudhakar Udumula (@sudhakarudumula) May 17, 2024
“You have messed with traffic and the environment too. You have made it (bus rides) free and emptied the metro (coffer) as well. Now, how will the metro move forward? How will the country move forward?” asked PM Narendra Modi.
Previously, in a interview with Business Today, ย R Shankar Raman, President and CEO of L &T, revealed that company is planning to sell off Hyderabad metro after 2026. Shankar Raman also mentioned that the Hyderabad Metro Railโs ridership had suffered due to the Mahalakshmi scheme.
Raman noted that women were opting for RTC buses over the Metro Rail, leading to losses, and L&T was contemplating exiting the project. He also said that, due to free bus scheme, TSRTC also facing challenges with rising maintenance costs.
CM Revanth Reddy’s response to L&T
In a casual meeting with journalists at his home Revanth Reddy indirectly relied to Shankar Ramanโs remark that the free bus ride scheme was not โsustainableโ, Revanth Reddy said, โGovernments do not function like corporates. They donโt look at balance sheets or profits and losses in whatever they do. Welfare of people, especially women, is the top priority of the Congress government. We will continue this scheme come what may. We are reimbursing funds to TSRTC every month promptly and ensuring that TSRTC does not land in a financial crisis due to the free bus scheme.โ