Thiruvananthapuram — The bus owners’ strike in Kerala has been called off after a conciliatory meeting with the state Transport Minister. The decision comes following a mutual agreement to hold further discussions on the contentious student concession fare issue.
It was decided that a joint meeting involving student organization leaders, bus owners’ association representatives, and the Transport Secretary will be held on July 29 to reach a final decision regarding any hike in student fares.
The PCC (Private Carriage Control) measures, which were a major point of contention, will be suspended for one month. Regarding limited stop permits, it was agreed that the current status quo would be maintained, subject to legal feasibility after consultation with Motor Vehicles Department officials.
A significant outcome of the talks was the decision to introduce a mobile application system within 45 days to ensure that only eligible students benefit from travel concessions.
The discussions were attended by key joint committee representatives including Hamsa Erikkunavan, T. Gopinathan, Gokulam Gokuldas, K.K. Thomas, Bibin Alappad, and K.B. Suresh Kumar (Transport Secretary), along with the Transport Commissioner.
