Bus operators in Bengal announces three days strike due to hike in diesel price

Kolkata, Jan 21: Ahead of the state assembly polls the bus operators of the state called for a three days strike in West Bengal starting from January 28. The organisation called for a strike on multiple demands, including the imposition of GST on diesel and tax cuts.
Diesel price was hiked by 25 paise per liter in Kolkata on Tuesday.

Doubts have already been raised about whether the city's private buses will be seen on the roads on the last three days of January.

Bus organizations have claimed that it is not possible to run the bus due to rising fuel costs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bus owners' association sat in a meeting on Tuesday. The organization has demanded a new rent restructuring. It was there that a three-day bus strike was decided at the end of January.

Notably, former Transport Minister Madan Mitra has alleged that the BJP is behind the bus strike.

Announcing the plan to go on a strike, Joint Council of Bus Syndicates general secretary Tapan Banerjee demanded that GST be levied on diesel in place of various taxes imposed by the Centre and the states.

He also demanded that the West Bengal government take a positive decision on bus fare hike in view of the rising operating costs and lower passenger revenue owing to Covid pandemic, failing which he said that the bus operators will go on a three-day strike across the state from January 28.