Karnataka transport minister calls private bus and taxi unions for a meeting ahead of strike on July 27

The government is likely to discuss their issues and listen to the demands in the meeting which will be chaired by Karnataka transport minister Ramalinga Reddy.

After various private transport unions revealed their plans to conduct a strike on July 27, the Karnataka government has called for a meeting with representatives of various unions on Monday. The government is likely to discuss their issues and listen to the demands in the meeting which will be chaired by Karnataka transport minister Ramalinga Reddy.

Karnataka transport minister calls private bus and taxi unions for a meeting

The private bus owners, taxi owners and auto owners have been reportedly facing losses after the Karnataka government has introduced the Shakti scheme, free bus travel for women across the state. Their primary demand to Karnataka government to extend the Shakti scheme to the private players to save them from the losses. The unions have been asking for a meeting with the government and they earlier complained that they go unheard often. If the meeting doesn’t meet the demands of the unions, the autos taxis and private buses are likely to go off the roads on July 27.

Shakti scheme which was launched in June saw a heavy response from women passengers. In the last one month, the state-run buses across Karnataka saw big time occupancy, forcing the staff to add extra services in a few routes. The transport minister even urged the women passengers to plan their travel ahead to avoid any inconvenience. Within a month of launching the scheme, over 16 crore women passengers availed the benefit, informed the transport department.