The Odisha Private Bus Owners’ Association has given the State Government 20 days to fulfil its 15-point charter of demands or face an indefinite strike from June 5. The Government on Saturday responded to the strike threat with talks with the association.
Commerce and Transport Minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi said after the meeting that a decision on a mechanism for automatic hike and cut in bus fares whenever there is a hike or cut in fuel prices, the major demand of the Association, would be taken soon.
The association, at an emergency general body meeting on Friday had taken strong exception to the gross apathy of the Government towards its demands. Association president Prakash Mishra and spokesperson Debasis Nayak said while the Government promptly asks the association to slash bus fares in the event of a fall in the diesel price, it does not show the same urgency in raising fares when fuel prices are increased, as happened in the latest case on Friday.
“The association, since April, 2013, has been demanding an automatic mechanism for fixation of bus fare in proportion to the rise and fall in the price of diesel,” they said.
Association general secretary Debendra Kumar Sahu said they have been demanding infrastructure development of bus-stands. “There are no facilities for security and safety of passengers in any bus-stand in the State. Most of them don’t have toilets either,” he said.
On the Government’s decision to cancel the licence of a driver in case of an accident, Sahu said since the Government has given the licence to the drivers, let it bring out a list of drivers which it wants to retain so that the association would employ them.
Criticising the decision of the State Government to cancel the route permits of bus owners in case of an accident, he said this is grossly illegal. “Why should the Government cancel the route permit of the bus ownersIJ Do the owners drive the busesIJ” he asked.
The other demands of the association are publication of a list mentioning the details of the drivers and conductors by the Transport Department; permission to the bus owners to sell their vehicle and hand over the route permit to the new owners; no cancellation of route permit and fitness certificate of the bus in case of an accident; management and maintenance cost of CCTV installed in buses; limiting the movement of buses plying under JNNURM scheme inside the city limits; no collection of toll from any bus plying on National Highways until a notification to this effect is issued by the government; fixation of a timetable prior to giving new route permit to a bus and financial assistance to the buses plying in KBK districts, ghat areas and Maoist-affected districts with relaxation in the timing and route permit of these buses.