KOLKATA: Under duress from bus operators, the bus syndicates have announced withdrawal of services on June 7. The office of the joint council of bus syndicates was gheraoed on Monday by private operators who demanded a
strike for the government’s refusal to revise fare in the wake of the record spike in diesel price. All buses in the city run on diesel.
Diesel price on Monday was Rs 71.52/litre in Kolkata The last fare revision was in 2014. “The cost of operation has multiplied with almost every component of buses becoming costlier than what they were in 2014. The insurance and permit cost has also increased. Under these circumstances, non-revision of fare has made bus operations unviable,” said
Tapan Bandyopadhyay of the council.
“Operators on Monday evening staged the
protest to demand a strike. We said we run an essential service. We must call this withdrawal of services, instead of a strike. But if the withdrawal of services fails to wake up the government’s conscience towards the plight of the bus operators, buses will go off the road, ” he said.
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