“The expansion of the scheme will further worsen the financial position of private bus operatorsThe government should extend the free travel scheme to private buses as well and provide a subsidy to compensate us,” Thangaraj said.
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New Delhi: Private bus operators across Tamil Nadu, barring Chennai, Madurai, Nagercoil, and Udhagamandalam, announced on Monday a 24-hour token strike from midnight on September 29According to the reports, the protest is to demand a revision of passenger fares, which have remained unchanged since 2018, and to oppose the proposed expansion of the state government’s free travel scheme for women.
Federation of Bus Operators Association of Tamil Nadu president K Thangaraj and secretary D R Dharmaraj, while speaking to the reporters, said that around 7,000 private buses operate in the state, and the sector is grappling with mounting losses due to the steep increase in the cost of diesel and spare parts.
While fares were last revised in 2018 when diesel was priced at Rs 64 a litre, the fuel now costs over Rs 100 a litre, they added“We are currently operating at a loss of around 65 per centUnless fares are revised, the private bus sector will become unviable,” Thangaraj said.
Following a petition by a federation of private bus owners, the Madras High Court in March last year had directed the state government to seek views from operators and the public regarding a fare revisionHowever, operators alleged that no further action has been taken.
The federation also raised strong objections to the upcoming expansion of the women’s free travel scheme, scheduled for October 2They noted that while state transport undertakings receive government subsidies to implement the initiative, private operators are excluded from such compensation.
“The expansion of the scheme will further worsen the financial position of private bus operatorsThe government should extend the free travel scheme to private buses as well and provide a subsidy to compensate us,” Thangaraj addedThe strike will be observed from midnight on September 29 to midnight on September 30.
Bank unions call off 3-day strike after IBA assurance
Regular banking operations will continue on Monday after the bank unions called off their three-day nationwide strike following an assurance from the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) on their demands for a five-day work week and other issues.
The strike, scheduled from Monday until September 30, was called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU)The bank unions, late on Sunday night, called off their strike after the IBA assured them to look into their demands, including declaring all Saturdays as holidays.
“A high-level committee of the IBA and UFBU will be formed immediately to deliberate on the issue of declaring the remaining Saturdays as holidays.
This committee will explore all possible alternatives, discuss with all the stakeholders, and work out a solution acceptable to all the stakeholders, more importantly, the customers,” the UFBU said in a statement late on Sunday night.
(With PTI Inputs)
