BENGALURU: Bus services throughout the state will be hit on April 30 as a nationwide road transport strike is expected to hamper the functioning of KSRTC, BMTC and other transport utilities.
Employees’ unions, which command the support of around 7.5 lakh workers, are protesting against the Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2014, which they feel curtails the powers of state-owned transport companies while providing unfair advantages to private bus operators.
The strike is backed by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and United Employees Union.
H V Anantha Subbarao, general secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress, told Express that the bill seeks to take away road transport utilities’ powers to frame routes and will force them to participate in bidding for routes framed by committees. “This will create unhealthy and cut-throat competition, which will increase accidents.”
According to Subbarao, it will also allow private operators to lease bus stands and use them for operations. The unions are asking for the bill to be rolled back until all stakeholders are taken into confidence and issues are discussed with them.
The workers also plan to stage a protest at Town Hall on Tuesday.