Bus strike disrupts daily commute in three districts

Kottayam: The strike called by private bus operators in Kottayam, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta against state govt’s free travel scheme for women was near-total on Wednesday. It crippled road transport, leaving thousands of commuters, including students, stranded.In Kottayam, only four of the district’s 950 private buses operated services. Two buses each ran on Mundakayam and Ponkunnam routes, said the organization of private bus owners. Commuters on routes served exclusively by private operators faced acute travel difficulties.Kerala State Private Bus Operators’ Federation president K K Thomas inaugurated the march and dharna held at the district headquarters as part of the strike.

Private bus owners alleged that the free travel scheme pushed many of them into grave financial distress and demanded an urgent financial package for sustenance. They also want govt to hire private buses at Rs 55/km. The federation said its petition to the CM and the transport minister seeking redressal went unanswered, forcing them to organize a strike.In Alappuzha, the strike was total, leaving passengers, school and college students without a public transport option. Kerala Bus Transport Association general secretary Gokul Das inaugurated the march and dharna at the collectorate. He said KSRTC’s free travel scheme for women is a blow as private operators are unable to cover their daily running costs and govt has not offered a solution to their problems even 22 days after the scheme began. He alleged that state govt’s move is an attempt to destroy the public transport system that has existed in Kerala for over a century.Bus owners and their staff described Wednesday’s action as a token strike, warning of an indefinite stir if govt failed to give a positive response.