School buses to stay off roads in state from Friday

School bus operators across the state on Tuesday declared that they would go on an indefinite strike from March 9 to protest the state government’s refusal to address their issues regarding the implementation of the school bus policy.

School bus operators across the state on Tuesday declared that they would go on an indefinite strike from March 9 to protest the state government’s refusal to address their issues regarding the implementation of the school bus policy.

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More than 3,000 school buses operate in Mumbai, transporting four lakh students to schools every day.

The operators are unhappy with the policy that is being enforced to ensure the safety of students after several mishaps involving school buses and children were reported, and want some of the conditions relaxed.

On Tuesday, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan apparently refused to meet a delegation of the School Bus Owner’s Association (SBOA). "In the last 10 days, we have tried meeting the CM, his principal secretary AK Jain and the transport commissioner, but no one has the time to meet and address our issues," said Anil Garg, SBOA chairman.

Transport secretary SK Sharma said the state is looking at the SBOA’s demands and the technical committee report. "We will decide about it soon," he said.