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Talks with Chandy fail; bus strike from today

Special Correspondent

Thiruvananthapuram, Attingal Association to keep away from stir

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Private bus operators in Kerala, barring those in Thiruvananthapuram and Attingal, on Tuesday decided to stick to their decision to go on an indefinite strike in support of their demand for a revision in fares or a cut in diesel tax. The strike will begin from Wednesday. The representatives of the Kerala Private Bus Operators Coordination Committee rejected the Government decision to entrust the Transport Commissioner to examine the pros and cons of the issue before taking a final view on this.

The Government decision came at the end of the talks convened by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to sort out the issues raised by the coordination committee, comprising the Kerala Private Bus Operators Federation and the Kerala Private Bus Operators' Association. The bus operators also did not buy the Government offer to extend the last date for payment of tax without fine up to August 30. The strike will severely affect the Malabar region that depends on private bus services for public transport. The Thiruvananthapuram and Attingal Private Bus Operators Association have informed their decision not to join the strike.

Transport Minister K. Sakhthan and Labour Minister Babu Divakaran, who too had participated in the talks, announcing the Government decision at a press conference, said the Transport Commissioner had been asked to submit the report within two months. Earlier, the Government had asked Transport Secretary Sheela Thomas to examine the various issues affecting the transport sector.

The Government also assured the operators'representatives that it would sympathetically consider their demands relating to their remittance to the transport workers'welfare fund in the next round of discussions expected to be held after the Transport Commissioner submitted his report.

The representatives of the Coordination Committee told media persons that their business had become unprofitable on account of the frequent hike in diesel prices.

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