Thiruvananthapuram: The private bus strike continues in Kerala for the second day as the state government did not oblige to the demands of the bus operators. The indefinite strike, which began Wednesday midnight, has affected normal life across the state and put commuters and students to severe hardship.
The private bus operators are on indefinite strike demanding a fare hike in the wake of rising fuel prices. They have demanded an increase of the minimum fare to Rs 12 and to hike the minimum concessional fare charged from students to Rs 6. They have also sought an increase in the kilometre charge from the present 90 paise to Rs 1.10 per kilometre and waiving off of the road tax for the COVID-19 pandemic period.
However, there was no strike by private buses in Thiruvananthapuram city for the reason that private bus owners were given permission to ply there based on a Kerala High Court order which had imposed a condition that there should be no strikes by them there, the Kerala State Private Bus Operators Federation's president, Sathyan, told PTI.
Normal life hit
The non-availability of private buses, which account for a substantial portion of the public transport in urban and rural areas of the state, created hardships for the general public, especially students as many of them had exams and related classes and had to look for options like auto-rickshaw or cycles for reaching their institutions.
Some students in Thrissur, told a news channel that they planned to cycle to school and would have to leave much earlier than usual as they have to travel a considerable distance.
Their parents, who also spoke to the channel, said they were concerned about the children's safety if they opt for cycling to school in the prevailing hot climate in the state and added that since they have exams and related classes, skipping school was not an option.
While those living in Kerala might have been aware about the strike and made preparations accordingly, those who were here from outside the state for work were caught unawares.
One such person, who hailed from north India and was here for some work, told a news channel that he was shocked when he reached Kozhikode bus station and found out that there was a strike. He said that now he would have to rely on Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses to reach the railway station.
The strike has hit the northern districts even harder as the KSRTC has comparatively fewer services.
'Unnecessary strike'
Meanwhile, state Transport Minister Antony Raju said that the government was planning to hike ticket fares which the private bus owners were aware of and therefore, there was no need for the strike.
He said that whether there was a strike or not, the government planned to hike the fares within the stipulated time.
Sathyan said that the minister has been saying this since November last year. He said that the minister, every time he is asked about the fare hike, says it will be done soon, but till date nothing has happened.
Sathyan also said that despite being given advance notice of the strike, Raju did not bother to hold discussions with private bus owners.
The minister had earlier hinted that a government decision regarding the fare hike will be announced after the LDF meet on March 30. However, the bus owners decided to go ahead with the strike.
KSRTC operates additional services
The KSRTC operated 200 additional services on Thursday to minimise the impact of the strike. It operated 23 special services in central zone, 15 in north and nine in south zones on the routes operated by private buses.
However, there were complaints from northern districts regarding the inadequacy of KSRTC buses to meet the demand. Despite instructions from KSRTC management to use all road-worthy buses for the additional services, several units struggled to find enough man power to operate these services.
KSRTC operated over 3,800 services on Thursday, the officials said.
Kochi Metro gains
The Kochi Metro, meanwhile, saw a rise in average ridership on Thursday. According to sources, the metro service has recorded 15% to 20% increase in ticket sales on the first day of the bus strike.
In Kochi, nearly 900 private buses are off the roads due to the strike.
(With PTI inputs)
