Private bus operators announce strike in Kerala tomorrow; decision will affect northern districts

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In protest against not hiking the travel fare for students, the private bus owners' joint committee has decided to conduct a strike on Tuesday. If the private bus owners' concerns are not answered, the committee has decided to carry out an indefinite strike from November 21. The committee is also against the government's decisions to install surveillance cameras in buses and make seat belts mandatory for bus drivers. The private bus operators' discussion with transport ministry Antony Raju also fell apart without any conclusion.

According to the private bus operators, the student ticket charge should be raised to Rs 5 but the government is not ready to budge. The government-appointed Dr Raviraman committee is yet to submit a report on the issue even after one year of conducting the research.

There are almost 9000 private buses in Kerala. KSRTC has made certain arrangements to compromise for the private buses' absence. However, in northern parts of Kerala, the situation will certainly go haywire as most people here depend on private buses for basic transportation.