Mumbai, May 19 -- The cash-strapped Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) may soon make bus travel costlier for lakhs of passengers after the recent hike in diesel prices added an estimated Rs.124-crore annual burden on its finances, according to officials aware of the developments. MSRTC, which operates affordable bus services across the state, is considering a fare hike if the government does not intervene and diesel prices remain high beyond May 31, officials said. Transport minister and MSRTC chairperson Pratap Sarnaik chaired a review meeting on Monday to assess the financial impact of the diesel price hike on the corporation. Senior officials, including MSRTC vice-chairperson and managing director Dr Madhav Kusekar, attended the meeting. According to MSRTC officials, the corporation's daily fuel expenditure is expected to rise by nearly Rs.33.7 lakh due to the diesel price increase. The additional burden is estimated at around Rs.10 crore per month and nearly Rs.124 crore annually. After the meeting, Sarnaik said that a proposal to increase state transport (ST) bus fares is under consideration, but also clarified that there will be no immediate hike. "MSRTC requires an average of 1.087 million litres of diesel every day. Diesel is currently supplied directly by oil companies. The diesel price, which was Rs.88.21 per litre last week, has now increased to Rs.91.31 per litre, registering a rise of Rs.3.1 per litre. The recent hike in diesel prices is expected to impose an additional annual burden of nearly Rs.124 crore on the cash-strapped transport corporation." Sarnaik said. The minister added that MSRTC was already under severe financial stress, having reported losses of nearly Rs.76 crore in April alone. "We are not going to take an immediate decision and will wait till May 31. If the government doesn't intervene and the situation does not improve, we will prepare a proposal for an ST bus fare hike. I have asked the ST administration to look into the details," he said. Any proposal for a fare revision will first be submitted to the State Transport Authority for approval, Sarnaik said. A final decision will be taken only after receiving the necessary clearance from the authority. The minister also said that the state government is exploring multiple options to minimise the financial burden on passengers who depend on ST buses for daily travel. "For citizens in rural areas, ST is an indispensable mode of public transport. Balancing financial sustainability while continuing uninterrupted services is the key challenge before the corporation," Sarnaik said....