Transport tariff hiked by 15% in Pune

The Maharashtra State Goods and Passenger Transport Association on Monday increased the transportation tariff by 15% across the state following the hike in diesel price announced recently by the Union government.

The president of the Maharashtra State Goods and Passenger Transport Association, Baba Shinde, said, "We have decided to increase the transport fare after discussing the issue with other associations of the state.''

The major chunk of the city's requirement of vegetables is met by supply from neighbouring districts like Ahmednagar, Satara, Solapur and Sangli. Pune also relies on veggies from states like Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, which too are transported by trucks.

According to Shinde, as many as 1,000 trucks including Tempos and trailers arrive in Pune market every day from other districts and states. "The transportation charges to ferry vegetables and fruits from Pune to Mumbai used to be Rs5,000. But the new charge is now over Rs5,500,'' he said.