Kerala - Kochi   

Private bus strike near-total

– Photo: Vipinchandran

Commuters’ woes: With private buses staying off the road, the KSRTC services were among the few alternatives available to commuters in the city on Wednesday.

KOCHI: The strike called by private bus workers under the aegis of the Private Bus Thozhilali Federation (AITUC) in the city on Wednesday was near-total with the commuting public being put to much hardship.

The strike was called citing the pitiable state of the roads, the narrow North and South Railway over-bridges and haphazard parking, affecting vehicular traffic. The Federation also sought to end the alleged unfair penalisation of bus workers by the police.

“If the issues on which we struck work were not solved, the general body meeting of the federation to be held on August 1 would give shape to strong protest measures,” Joy Joseph, federation general secretary, said in a press release.

With most of the private buses staying off the road, the people were forced to depend on other modes of transport, mostly parallel services. Autorickshaw operators also had a good day.

There were complaints of fleecing of commuters by parallel service operators at many places. “They charged me Rs. 10 for the stretch from Alinchuvadu to Kakkanad, which was more than double the fare charged in private buses,” a person working at the Collectorate complained.

Besides, most of these vehicles were packed beyond capacity in many cases as the operators aimed at making maximum profit at the given opportunity.

Though the KSRTC reportedly operated 120 additional services to areas served mostly by private buses, like Kakkanad, Piravom, Aluva etc., the services proved few and far between.

The attendance at the district headquarters was more than 60 per cent, Collectorate sources said. The attendance at educational institutions, which provided transportation facilities to its students, was not much affected.

However, despite the city buses staying off the road, there was no respite from traffic snarls during peak hours. In fact, traffic congestion was more as everyone, who otherwise would have travelled by private buses, pulled out their two and four- wheelers on to the road, a motorist said.

“The condition of the city roads ensured that though the distance we operate a day has come down, the repairs and maintenance charges have gone up,” Mr. Satyan, State Treasurer of Private Bus Operators’ Association said.

The snarling traffic on the city roads meant that diesel consumption also increased, he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Supplyco initiative to help fever-hit
Defence industry workshop begins today
CIFT wins award
‘Land assignment Act not for the rich’ High Court Round-up
Mayor blames it on real estate lobby
Private bus strike near-total
City facing a dangerous situation, says Collector
2,000 houses damaged in monsoon fury
Level up in reservoirs
Evidence taken
Passport adalat

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu