Shivamogga: An RTI query reveals that Karnataka government spent nearly a fortune on ferrying people to attend PM Modi’s recent event at Shivamogga in the state.
The Shivamogga division of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) said Rs 3.94 crore was spent on transporting mass attendees from across the district to the inauguration of Shivamogga airport.
The response came in reply to the query under the Right to Information Act filed by Twitter user Akash R Patil on March 24, The News Minute reported.
The reply, dated April 3, revealed that 1,600 KSRTC buses were plied from different parts of the district to transport people.
In his query, Akash asked how many KSRTC buses were used and who paid for the expenses and how much it cost.
Replying to the query, KSRTC said that 1600 buses were provided on Monday, February 27, 2023 on casual contract to bring people from different taluks of Shivamogga district to Shivamogga city for the inauguration of Shivamogga airport.
It also added that the bill for vehicles is Rs 3,93,92,565, which was paid by the Executive Engineer of Shivamogga.
On February 27, PM Modi opened the Shivamogga airport constructed on 663 acres of land with an investment of Rs 449.22 crore.
With a capacity to handle around 300 passengers an hour, the airport, named after renowned poet and author Kuvempu, will become a gateway to the state’s Malnad region.