Thiruvananthapuram: Private buses across Kerala will go on an indefinite strike starting tomorrow, demanding fare hikes for student concessions and resolution of issues related to permit renewals. The strike has been called by a joint action committee of bus owners’ organizations.
Although Transport Minister K. B. Ganesh Kumar held discussions with bus owners recently, the talks failed to yield any agreement. Following the meeting, the Bus Operators Forum decided to withdraw from the strike, but other unions chose to go ahead with the protest.
While the minister had earlier said that another round of talks could be held before Tuesday, bus owners claim no formal invitation has been received so far. The minister had also informed that discussions regarding student concession fares would be held with student organizations and that permit-related decisions would be taken after consultation with the Chief Minister.
According to Coordination Committee General Convenor Raj Kumar Karuvarath and Convenors P. K. Pavithran and K. Vijayan, the strike is being staged with the following key demands: automatic renewal of all long-distance and limited-stop permits, revision of student concession fares, and an end to the alleged misuse of e-challan penalties by police, which they claim unfairly targets bus owners.
