KOCHI: Private bus operators will go on a statewide token strike on Tuesday. The strike has been called by the Bus Owners Joint Committee, an organisation of various bus owners’ associations across the state.
The private bus operators announced the strike plan following the failure of talks between the joint committee members and the state transport commissioner on Monday. Their primary demands included an increase in student concession fares, withdrawal of limits on long-distance permits, elimination of excessive penalties and withdrawal of the requirement of police clearance certificates for bus crew.
“The meeting didn’t fetch any results. Our demands are very basic such as timely renewal of permits of existing private buses on their respective routes, and withdrawal of the latest directive making police clearance certificate mandatory for bus workers. If the state government doesn’t consider the demands, an indefinite strike will be launched from July 26,” said joint committee convenor P V Pradeep.
A decision on two of the demands could have been made in a week, but the bus operators were not ready to wait, the transport commissioner said. “All the demands of bus operators were heard in Monday’s meeting. Increasing minimum charge of student concession fares from `1 to `5 has to be discussed with the government and various stakeholders. The government has to take a policy decision to address the demand to withdraw the limit of 140km for long-distance permits. We sought one week to decide. But the bus operators were adamant,” the transport commissioner said.
The strike on Tuesday will be followed by a Bharat bandh called by various trade unions on Wednesday, leaving the public transport sector disrupted for two days.