The indefinite strike called by the Interstate Bus Owners Association (IBOA) in Kerala on Monday will continue as talks held with Transport Minister AK Saseendran failed to reach a consensus.
Bus owners started the strike alleging that Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) was levying high fines on them as part of ‘Operation Night Riders’ drive.
Though bus owners demanded ‘Operation Night Riders’ to be stopped, the minister said that the checking will continue, reportsMathrubhumi.
Even though Minister Saseendran ensured that the checking of the MVD will be conducted without causing hindrance to driver and other staff, the bus owners association did not go with it.
According to reports, about 293 interstate buses are staying off the roads in protest, which is affecting passengers. The strike has mainly affected passengers to and from cities like Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
The MVD had started ‘Operation Night Riders’ recently following the incident in a bus of Kallada Travels, where two passengers were chased and attacked by employees of the bus. This had created a furore in the state as the video of passengers being assaulted went viral on social media. Following this, similar incidents where employees of the interstate buses were behaving badly with passengers came to light. Three more incidents were reported in the buses owned by Kallada Travels alone, after it.
The MVD tightened its surveillance following these incidents.
Meanwhile, reports also state that the IBOA had given proposal to the government earlier to constitute passenger redressal forum consisting of members like retired regional transport officer, retired superintendent of police, senior High Court lawyer and representative of bus owners and passengers associations. But the government is yet to approve this proposal.
According to reports, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has decided to operate additional four buses from Bengaluru to Kerala in the wake of the strikes. KSRTC buses will operate to Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kannur and Palakkad.