Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The bus operators’ association has decided to call off the strike that was proposed from August 7 in the state, as the state government has accepted four of the organisation's seven demands.
The association had submitted a memorandum to the state government outlining its seven demands. After discussions with the ministers, four demands were accepted by the government.
The state government increased bus fares in favour of the association, and the notification was issued on Wednesday. For the remaining three demands, an eight-member committee has been formed, comprising four government officials and four members of the association.
Pending demands
Association secretary Jay Kumar Jain said the three pending demands were related to bus permits, new bus registration and route permits. He added that the state government had imposed a ban on permits for 15-year-old buses.
The association gave the example that these buses run up to 50 kilometres. After that, they are denied permits. They operate on special permits and run for 2,000 km in one stretch. The state government should reconsider the issue. Another demand is related to the registration of new buses. At present, around 1,500 buses are ready for operation.
However, the Government of India has issued an order under which only buses constructed by a licensed body builder are granted permits. Whereas, in the state, not even a single body builder is authorised, and this is not the fault of the bus owners.
The last demand is related to permits under the CM Sugam Parivahan Yojana. The association has demanded that before issuing new permits, the government should rationalise the need and requirement on a particular route. The state government has issued notification for bus routes in Sagar and Jabalpur. The government has decided the routes.
