Jaipur, February 26 A strike by private bus operators in Rajasthan entered its third day on Thursday, severely disrupting transport services across the state and affecting lakhs of passengers.
The protestors alleged that after a bus fire incident in Jaisalmer last year, the RTO department has been imposing heavy fines, cancelling fitness certificates, and even revoking the registrations of buses that have valid permits and fitness approvals.
According to protestors, around 35,000 buses are off the roads, excluding those under the Lok Parivahan scheme.
Zafar Khan, a bus operator in Jodhpur, alleged that the department has been taking arbitrary actions and seizing several buses despite compliance with norms.
The impact of the strike has been on devotees travelling to the Khatu Shyamji fair and people heading home for Holi celebrations, apart from the daily commuters.
Nearly 15 lakh passengers travel daily on buses to and from Rajasthan, including travellers from Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Assam. Thousands of bookings made in advance for the festival season are being cancelled, they said.
The strike has led to overcrowding in Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation buses, making it difficult for people to find a seat.
Private Bus Operators Association state president Satyanarayan Sahu said the strike would continue until the government agrees to their demands.
Sahu claimed the agitation was causing revenue losses not only to bus operators but also to the state government.
The government earns nearly Rs 5 per kilometre in toll revenue from their buses, which have now stopped. In addition, the state is losing VAT revenue on diesel due to the suspension of services, he said.
The issue was also raised in the Rajasthan Assembly.
Independent MLA Chandrabhan Singh Aakya and Congress MLA Shikha Meel Barala raised the matter during Zero Hour and urged the government to intervene.
Speaking on the adjournment motion, Aakya said private buses were off the roads due to the strike, which has caused hardship to labourers, rural residents and students.
"Heavy fines and harassment by the RTO have forced operators to resort to the strike. The government should act sensitively to resolve the issue," he said.
"The Khatu Shyamji fair is currently underway, and people travelling there are facing immense difficulties. The government should show sensitivity and take immediate steps to ensure that the bus strike is called off," he said.
Barala said the strike has caused severe inconvenience to the common public ahead of Holi.
She said that government-run buses are overcrowded, and claimed that nearly 3.5 lakh people employed by private bus operators were rendered jobless due to the strike.
She also criticised the government for failing to take a decisive stand.
She said that people going to the Khatu Shyamji fair in Sikar district are facing hardship due to the strike, and private taxi operators are charging exorbitant fares.
She alleged that private taxi operators were charging as high as Rs 7,000 for a 70-kilometre trip.
Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully also sought a response from the government, but the Speaker did not allow it.
Several people were killed when a sleeper bus caught fire in Jaisalmer earlier in October last year. The fire broke out due to a short circuit in the AC. There was no exit gate in the bus.
Following the incident, the transport department launched an intensive checking campaign against illegal modification and violation of permit norms.
In protest against the actions, the private bus operators also held a strike in October last year, and this is the second strike.