Social media groups largely being misused to mobilise support for such sudden protests
Social media groups largely being misused to mobilise support for such sudden protests
With no prompt legal action on the part of the Motor Vehicles Department, private bus operators are frequently resorting to flash strikes leaving hundreds of passengers stranded on the midway.
Social media groups are largely being misused to mobilise support of drivers for such sudden protests in the name of minor road scuffles or arguments with passengers.
MVD’s warning
The warning earlier issued by the MVD squads has been thrown to the wind by majority of operators on rural routes. No operators are now keen to follow the rule that there should be prior intimation while planning strikes. The majority of victims are students and employees.
“The Kozhikode-Kuttiyadi route is now emerging as the worst route with increasing number of such flash strikes. Though the issue may be related to a single bus or driver, the associated bus workers are trying to mobilise mass support of all employees to stall complete bus services,” said P.V. Byju, a Kuttiyadi native who was caught in the middle of such protests on Friday. He said the reasons for most strikes were trivial.
Democratic Youth Federation of India workers who recently challenged the bus operators’ stance in Kuttiyadi said the MVD’s poor action against such flash protests were seemingly encouraging the bus workers to proceed with the unhealthy practice whenever they want. According to them, bus operators on other routes were also found adopting the same strategy.
Bus permit suspension
“There is provision to suspend the permit of buses involved in such protests. But, no officers are interested in acting sternly. Such negligence will prompt local commuters to stage road protests and lock horns with the bus operators,” said Vinu Baby, a youth organisation volunteer from Kuttiyadi. He said the bus operators who trouble commuters with such strikes should be booked for violation of essential service rules.
Legal action
Meanwhile, MVD officials said the drivers who resorted to flash strikes on the Kozhikode-Kuttiyadi route would be liable to face action for negligence in properly informing about the strike. They also claimed that many such drivers had earlier faced legal action when they resorted to such undeclared strikes.
