Private bus strike called off

The indefinite bus strike called by the private bus operators in the State and scheduled to begin on July 22 has been called off after discussions with Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar here on Monday. The representatives of the Joint Committee of Bus Owners announced the decision to call off the strike after an agreement was reached between them and the Minister during the discussion.

As per the talks, the Minister assured the private bus operators that a joint discussion involving the student outfits leaders and bus owner unions will be organised on July 29 under the aegis of the Transport Secretary to take a call on the demand to increase the concession of students as sought by the bus owners. The meeting also decided to postpone the decision to make mandatory police clearance certificates for bus crew for a month.

In the case of converting limited-stop buses into ordinary services, the Minister directed maintaining the status quo if there is no legal issue after discussing with the Motor Vehicle Department. It was also decided to implement an app system within 45 days to limit the concession of students to those who are eligible. Joint committee office bearers Hamsa Erikkunnan, T. Gopinathan, Gokulam Gokuldas, K.K. Thomas, Bibin Alappad, K.B. Suresh Kumar, Transport Secretary, Transport Commissioner, and others participated in the discussion.