After the hike in fuel prices following a four-and-a-half-month hiatus, private bus operators in Kerala have decided to go on strike to demand an increase in ticket fare. With this, private bus services in the state will be affected indefinitely from Thursday, March 24. The president of Kerala State Private Bus Operators Federation, Sathyan, told PTI that a notice regarding the proposed strike was given to the government over two weeks ago. However, he said that they have not been called for discussions on the issue yet.
State Transport Minister Antony Raju had asked the bus drivers not to go on strike, keeping in mind the students who regularly use private buses, as their exams are going on. However, Sathyan hit out at the minister, claiming that the state government was informed of the plight of private bus operators in November, but no action was taken. He further said that the state government must ensure no hardship to the students, and the onus was not on the bus owners.
The minister, meanwhile, said the private bus operators should not think that they could put the government under pressure by suspending services. "If the private bus operators go on strike, KSRTC would run more services to meet the travel needs of the public," Antony added.
The owners have demanded a hike in the fare for the public and also in the concessional fare for students. Besides, the operators have sought an increase in the per kilometre charge from the present 90 paise to Rs 1.10 per km and waiver of road tax for the COVID-19 pandemic period.
Petrol and diesel prices on Wednesday, March 23, were hiked by 80 paise a litre each for the second day in a row since the ending of an over four-and-half month election-related hiatus. A record 137-day hiatus in rate revision ended on March 22 with an 80 paise per litre increase in rates. Prices had been on a freeze since November 4 ahead of the assembly elections in states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab — a period during which the cost of raw material (crude oil) soared by $30 per barrel.