Kochi/Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 16 The Keralam government on Friday formed a four-member committee to examine private bus operators’ grievances over service timings and the SRTC’s Priyadarshini scheme, following their threat to launch an indefinite strike from November 3.
The private bus operators announced the strike this morning, demanding a fare hike, compensation for losses allegedly caused by free bus travel for women on state-run buses, and a revision of student concessions.
A statement from Transport Minister CP John’s office said K Suresh Babu, a member of the State Transport Authority (STA), would head the committee, while Senior Deputy Transport Commissioner C V M Shareef would be its convenor.
The other members are Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) Executive Director (Operations) G P Pradeep Kumar and R J Sanjay, technical officer at the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (NATPAC).
The Transport Secretary issued the order constituting the committee.
The panel has been directed to hold consultations with stakeholders in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode and submit its report to the government within six weeks, the statement said.
Earlier in the day, the All Kerala Bus Operators Association, following a state coordination committee meeting, announced the proposed strike.
Speaking to reporters, AKBOA general secretary T Gopinathan said private bus operators had suffered losses of more than Rs 800 crore since the introduction of the Priyadarshini scheme, which provides free travel for women on ordinary-category buses operated by the KSRTC.
“If the state government does not come forward to protect private buses, all private operators will stop services indefinitely from November 3,” he said.
The association’s office-bearers said their primary demand was to raise the minimum bus fare to Rs 15.
They demanded that student concession fares be fixed at 50 per cent of the regular ticket price.
The Justice M Ramachandran Commission had recommended in 2022 that the student concession fare be increased to Rs 5, but the recommendation had not been implemented, Gopinathan said.
“Our current demand is that the student concession should be 50 per cent of the ticket charge,” he said.
The association also demanded that free bus travel for women be extended to private buses, with the government compensating operators for the cost.
The operators alleged that the government had not held discussions with them on the issues faced by private bus services in the state.
The Kerala State Private Bus Operators Federation, another association of bus owners, has announced a hunger strike in front of the state Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram from October 27.
The federation is also demanding government assistance for private bus operators affected by the Priyadarshini scheme, a hike in bus fares and a revision of student concessions.
(PTI News)
