Kolkata, May 21 (PTI) Following talks with West Bengal Transport minister on Wednesday, a platform of five private bus operators’ associations, called off the proposed three-day strike from May 22 as the state government promised to look into their long-pending issues.
Representatives of the five associations – Joint Council of Bus Syndicates, Bengal Bus Syndicate, West Bengal Bus-Mini Bus Owners Association, Minibus Operators Co-ordination Committee and Inter & Intra Region Bus Association – called off the strike after meeting Transport minister Snehasis Chakraborty and Transport secretary Saumitra Mohan earlier in the day.
Mohan told PTI, “We had a fruitful meeting with the operators today in the presence of Kolkata Police Commissioner, and they agreed to withdraw their strike. We assured them to look into their grievances and take suitable measures soon.” P N Bose of West Bengal Bus & Mini Bus Owners Association told PTI, “It has been decided that we will wait till September 1 about how the Sanjog portal – the unified e-challan system – works from June 1 but will resume agitation if the new rules and facilities will be used unfairly against issuing fitness checks, permit renewals and PUC clearances – by a section of traffic police and transport officials.” “In case of payment of fines for genuine traffic violation cases, the traffic department has promised to see if the practice of paying a part of the computed fine by a bus owner can be waived and the rest can be paid at tribunals or paid in parts as in past,” he added.
The other demands of the five associations, which have come together under a unified platform called ‘Besarkari Jatri Paribahan Banchao Committee’ (Save Passenger Transport Committee), include hiking daily rates of bus owners from Rs 800 to Rs 2200-2500 for requisition purpose to maintain law and order.
Transport minister Snehasis Chakraborty said, “We will certainly take a human approach to the issues faced by the transport operators, but they must realise in a modern city, certain rules and regulations need to be followed to maintain order and discipline.
The other demand by the operators for a two-year window after a vehicle attains the age of 15 years cannot be addressed by the state government as it is a sub-judice matter, the issue pending in court, another transport official said.
“Whatever grievances they have will be discussed,” the minister said.
At present, around 2,500 private buses operate in Kolkata and its surrounding areas, while nearly 38,000 buses ply across the state. PTI SUS RG
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