Pvt transporters meet minister Ramalinga Reddy, temporarily call off strike

Bengaluru: The associations of private transporters have temporarily called off the transport strike scheduled for July 27 to fulfill various demands including compensation for the losses caused by the ‘Shakti’ scheme. The associations gave a deadline of August 10 to the state government for resolution.

The decision came after a series of meetings were held at the Transport Department in Shantinagar on Monday under the leadership of Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy. Office bearers of the Federation of State Private Transport Unions, Auto, Taxi Drivers and Owners Associations, and department officials participated.

Many persuasion attempts were made in the meeting to no avail. With no truce in sight,  Ramalinga Reddy finally suggested giving time till August 10 to come to a decision. The drivers and owners who agreed to this warned that they would continue with their stir if the demands were not met within the stipulated time. Along with this, the strike which was supposed to take place on July 27 has been temporarily abandoned.

The associations claimed that there has been a considerable dip in their earnings after the announcement of free bus travel for women under the “Shakti” scheme. The livelihood of the drivers and operators and their dependents is also becoming difficult. Therefore Shakti Yojana should be extended to private buses as well. If this is not possible, the officials of the private transport unions demanded that they should be freed from all types of taxes, including motor vehicle tax, the associations demanded.

The associations also sought a ban on thee-taxis and bike taxis. They said that the earning of auto drivers were hit due to the Shakti Scheme as well as the proliferation of bike taxis. They demanded a monthly cash transfer of Rs 10,000 per month for auto drivers as compensation.

Minister Ramalinga Reddy assured the associations that the matter will be discussed with CM Siddaramaiah and sought time to respond to the demands.