A 14-hour strike announced by private bus operators commenced in Rajasthan on Tuesday, crippling the public transport system across the state. Nearly 30,000 private buses went off-road in the state as part of the agitation called by the private bus operators. The association launched a one-day strike to press for their multiple demands, including an increase in fare, simplification of the process for issuing temporary permits and tax waiver for buses unable to operate in rural areas due to rainfall, among others.
Following a stalemate, Satyanarayan Sahu, president of the Bus Operators Association Rajasthan stated that these buses will not operate from 6 am to 8 pm on Tuesday
The bus operators are holding protests at various locations across the state, including Sindhi Camp here from where several private buses operate.
"We have listed 24 points in our demand list, which were submitted to the Transport Department. There is resentment among the bus operators for not fulfilling the demands," Sahu said.
He added that due to the strike, the movement of about 40 lakh commuters is likely to be affected.
After the demonstration, the bus operators will submit a memorandum to the concerned officer at all the district headquarters, Sahu said.
Some of the demands by the association include the implementation of an offline system for issuing temporary permits along with the existing online system, as server issues often prevent permits from being issued, leading to booking cancellations.
They have also requested a waiver of road tax for buses that could not operate due to rainfall in the last two months, an increase in fares and a crackdown on illegal jeeps and autos operating on private bus routes, among other demands.
(Inputs from PTI)
