The School and College Bus Operators’ Association, Punjab, held a protest in Bathinda on Thursday to press for its demands, including a dedicated transport policy and lower taxes for school buses.
Bus operators and drivers from different parts of the state participated in the protest. They said that the association will intensify the agitation if the Punjab government does not redress their grievances.
According to the information, several private schools, including those in Bathinda and Barnala, were closed as the protesting operators had announced to suspend services for the day.
Punjab Unaided Schools Association also extended its support to the agitation and its president Vinod Khurana was among those who attended the protest.
Addressing the rally at the grain market in Bathinda city, association president Gurpreet Singh Sra charged the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for adopting a stepmotherly approach towards school operators.
Protesters demanded a separate tax structure for school and college buses. Pointing out a key anomaly, Sra said that school buses cover 50-60 km a day while public transport carriers travel an average of 500 km everyday but both segments are covered under the same tax structure.
He said state authorities were putting an extra financial burden by objecting to the global positioning system (GPS) and fire-fighting systems already installed in the buses.
{{/usCountry}}He said state authorities were putting an extra financial burden by objecting to the global positioning system (GPS) and fire-fighting systems already installed in the buses.
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