Demanding fare hike, private bus operators in Kumaon plan strike
Surendra Singh Duseela, the president of Kumaon Motor Owners Union Ltd, said nearly 350 buses operating in the Kumaon region and 100 buses connecting Kumaon with the Garhwal region will not ply from Friday in the wake of indefinite strike by the private bus operators.
The private bus operators in Kumaon region, demanding hike in the passenger fare at par with the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation buses, will go on an indefinite strike from Friday. The strike may cause problems for commuters in the hilly state.
Surendra Singh Duseela, the president of Kumaon Motor Owners Union Ltd, said nearly 350 buses operating in the Kumaon region and 100 buses connecting Kumaon with the Garhwal region will not ply from Friday in the wake of indefinite strike by the private bus operators.
“We have two main demands. First, we want a hike in the passenger fare. We are charging 95 paisa for every kilometre, while the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation buses charge ₹1.72 for every kilometer,” he said. “Second, the bus operators are on the receiving end due to the tough stand of the traffic police, which keep penalising them on one or the other issue,” he added.
“We are also being penalised for more passengers beyond the seating capacity of the bus, even if they find children below three years, from whom we don’t charge any fare. They also count them and take action against us,” Duseela said. The traffic police were also filing cases against drivers and bus owners for death by negligence and treating the same as ‘culpable homicide’, he added.
“The mandatory condition for installing speed governors and GPS system in the buses should also be scrapped,” he said.
The union leader said that under the circumstances it had become difficult for the owners to operate buses in the region. “We have been left with no option, but to agitate and press for demands,” he added.