KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Friday directed that bus fares should not be revised without its permission. The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice S R Bannurmath and Justice Thottathil B Radhakrishnan also directed the government to file a report on the fare revision before January 15.
"If the relevant provisions require that fare be fixed only after a public hearing, it should be ensured that the fare is not revised without giving the public an opportunity to express their view," the court directed the government.
The court further said that the pendency of the revision of fare was not a reason to take buses off the road. "The private bus operators and the government should keep in mind that they are duty bound to ensure that buses ply and the public is not forced to face hardship in the transporting facility in any part of the state," the court said.
The writ petitions praying the court to give directions to the state government to take action against the bus strike were filed by Hemalatha Nambiar, general secretary of the Forum for Awareness and Socio-Cultural Transformation of Women(FAST), Kochi, and Dijo Kappen, chairman of Centre for Consumer Education, Kottayam.