Karnataka State Private Bus Owners Association on Tuesday said that the strike by road transport corporation employees was not justified at a time when COVID-19 cases were increasing and students were preparing to write exams.
Speaking to reporters in Udupi, association treasurer Kuyiladi Suresh Nayak said that private operators, with 8,000 stage carriages, 20,000 maxi cabs and 4,000 all India Contract Carriage permit buses, would be ready to serve the people and support the government.
Mr. Nayak said that RTCs employees strike would severely inconvenience the general public and there were other ways to register one’s protest. The government too reportedly had agreed to most of the demands of the employees and there was no reason for them to go on a strike. RTCs employees should have sorted out the issue through dialogue with the government, he added.
The Dakshina Kannada Bus Owners Association too agreed to operate contract carriage buses on routes served by KSRTC buses on the basis of temporary permits issued by the Transport Department. Association president Dilraj Alva said that the Mangaluru Regional Transport Officer in a meeting here urged private operators to extend their cooperation on Tuesday. Contract carriage bus owners have agreed to provide services.
60:40 formula
To prevent such strikes by RTCs employees, the government should adopt the 60:40 formula wherein RTCs operate 60% of services and private operators 40%, as in Tamil Nadu. This would help prevent strikes, he said and added that during the last strike, RTCs employees operated services in districts where private buses too were running and stopped services where they had monopoly. The Union government has amended the Motor Vehicles Act suitably to issue permits to private stage carriage buses, he added.
Mr. Nayak said that the government offered lip-sympathy to public transport as it did not support private operators in any way. If the government provides for monthly advance tax payment instead of quarterly advance tax payment and reimburses at least 50% of expenses incurred towards offering concession to students, elderly and differenty abled, it would help private operators. Many State governments have allowed up to one year exemption in tax payment for public transport operators during COVID-19.