Bengal Private Bus Operators Call Off May 22 Strike After Talks with Government

PTI, Kolkata, May 21 : Following discussions with West Bengal Transport Minister Snehasis Chakraborty on Wednesday, a platform of five private bus operators’ associations called off their proposed three-day strike scheduled to begin on May 22, after the state government assured them it would address their long-pending issues.

Representatives of the five associations — the Joint Council of Bus Syndicates, Bengal Bus Syndicate, West Bengal Bus-Mini Bus Owners Association, Minibus Operators Coordination Committee, and the Inter & Intra Region Bus Association — withdrew the strike following a meeting with Transport Minister Chakraborty and Transport Secretary Saumitra Mohan earlier in the day.

“We had a fruitful meeting with the operators today in the presence of the Kolkata Police Commissioner, and they agreed to withdraw their strike. We assured them that we will look into their grievances and take suitable measures soon,” Mohan told PTI.

P. N. Bose of the West Bengal Bus & Mini Bus Owners Association told PTI, “It has been decided that we will wait until September 1 to evaluate how the Sanjog portal — the unified e-challan system — functions after its rollout on June 1. But we will resume agitation if the new rules and facilities are used unfairly against us for fitness checks, permit renewals, and PUC clearances by certain traffic police and transport officials.”

He added that in cases of fines for genuine traffic violations, the traffic department had promised to consider waiving the requirement for immediate full payment. Instead, the department may allow partial payments or payments through tribunals, as was the practice in the past.

Among the key demands of the five associations — now united under a platform called the Besarkari Jatri Paribahan Banchao Committee (Save Passenger Transport Committee) — is a hike in the daily requisition rates for buses used for law and order duties, from the current Rs 800 to Rs 2,200–2,500.

Transport Minister Chakraborty said, “We will certainly take a humane approach to the issues faced by the transport operators. However, they must understand that in a modern city, certain rules and regulations need to be followed to maintain order and discipline.”

On the operators' demand for a two-year extension period after a vehicle reaches 15 years of age, a transport official clarified that the matter is sub judice and currently pending in court, making it beyond the purview of the state government.

“Whatever grievances they have will be discussed,” the minister added.

Currently, around 2,500 private buses operate in Kolkata and its surrounding areas, while nearly 38,000 private buses ply across the state.