The deserted Vyttila Mobility Hub in the wake of the strike called by Ernakulam district private bus operators in protest against the alleged harassment by enforcement authorities.
| Photo Credit: H. Vibhu
Workers and owners of around 1,400 private buses, serving Kochi and its immediate neighbourhoods, joined a token strike on Wednesday against the alleged highhandedness by the police and the Motor Vehicles department (MVD) against bus workers, resulting in the creation of an atmosphere of tension among them.
The situation is such that the police are foisting false cases against private bus workers so that even bus owners, along with workers, are being called into account, said K.B. Suneer, general convenor of Ernakulam District Bus Owners’ and Workers’ Combined Forum, which called for the token strike. The strike was total, said a statement from the organisers.
Since buses remained off the road, attendance at educational institutions was affected. However, operation of industrial units was not hit. Shops and business establishments, including hotels and outlets in the Ernakulam main market, operated as usual, though a hotelier said workers were late to take up duties owing to shortage of public transport facilities.
The protesters also took out a march to the office of the District Police Chief (Kochi City) to register their protest. They also organised a dharna in front of the police chief’s office. There was heavy police guard in areas through which the march passed from High Court Junction.
The agitators demanded that the police and the MVD take action against those guilty of wrongdoing instead of accusing bus workers even in small cases and turning them into police complaints. Bus operators demanded bus ways as well as an end to what they claimed was “physical assault” by the police.
Meanwhile, strike organisers said if their pleas failed to get a positive response, they would be forced to resort to an indefinite stir from November 30. K.A. Najeeb of Bus Operators’ Association, INTUC national secretary K.P. Haridas, and AITUC district president John Lukose were among those who addressed protesters. Leaders of various trade unions affiliated to BMS and INTUC participated.
