Palakkad , Private bus operators in Keralam on Tuesday announced an indefinite strike from November 3, alleging that the government had failed to address their losses following the introduction of the Priyadarshini service by the state-run KSRTC.
The operators alleged that the Transport minister was procuring buses with contributions from wealthy private individuals, cooperative societies and MLAs’ asset development funds, among other sources, and operating them on routes served by private buses. They said discussions with Transport Minister C P John on October 10 had failed to yield a favourable outcome, leaving them with no option but to suspend services indefinitely.
The decision was taken at a joint meeting of private bus owners held here, the operators said at a press conference.
However, they alleged that the government had made no effort to accept or implement any of the recommendations. The operators said a special commission appointed by the government on September 2 had submitted recommendations to address the losses suffered by the private bus sector.
They said the government had failed to discuss any of their demands aimed at ensuring the survival of the private bus industry, forcing them to resort to an indefinite strike. They said they had tried to avoid a strike, keeping in mind the inconvenience it would cause passengers, but accused the government of being unwilling to support the sector. The joint committee said it would not accept the government’s decision to appoint another commission to examine the problems faced by private bus operators, arguing that immediate solutions were needed instead of another panel.
