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Indefinite strike by Assam transport body from today
Vehicles across are off the road from 6 am on Monday due to the strike called by All Assam Motor Transport Association, who is seeking relief measures from the state government to offset massive losses suffered due to the Covid-19-induced lockdown restrictions
Passengers across Assam have been affected due to an indefinite strike called by a major transport body since Monday morning demanding hike in fares among other demands.
Passenger vehicles across the state are off roads from 6 am on Monday due to the strike called by All Assam Motor Transport Association (AAMTA), who is seeking relief measures from the state government to offset massive losses suffered due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19)-induced lockdown restrictions.
In Guwahati, besides city buses and buses running on long routes, taxis, tempos and other passenger vehicles are also off roads in support of the demands raised by the AAMTA.
The list of demands by the association include a waiver in road tax for a year, doing away with quarterly tax on vehicles, an increase in bus fares and financial relief to transporters due to the restrictions imposed because of Covid-19 pandemic.
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“The government has been giving relief to almost all sectors due to losses suffered because of the Covid-19 pandemic. But transporters have been denied such measures, forcing us to resort to a strike,” Pradip Das, general secretary, AAMTA, told media persons on Sunday.
“At present, we are operating buses with 50% of passengers’ capacity, but with the same fares as earlier. It has become impossible to continue, as petrol prices have also gone up by leaps and bounds,” he added.
The government had requested the AAMTA to refrain from resorting to strike as it would pose inconvenience for passengers.
“We had requested them to postpone or call off the strike, as a meeting with the transport minister is scheduled on Tuesday to redress their demands,” said a transport department official.
In a bid to ensure passengers are not stranded because of the strike, the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) has decided to operate 650 buses across the state, including 250 in Guwahati alone, from 6 am to 10 pm, on Monday.
