Transport unions in West Bengal defer strike to 23 August

The West Bengal bus and taxi unions decided yesterday to defer the proposed three-day transport strike that was to have begun on 10 August. The decision came after transport minister Ranjit Kundu, with whom the unions had a meeting at the Writers' Buildings requested that the strike be delayed.

Sadhan Das, president of the Joint Council of Bus Syndicate said the minister had asked for 10 days from them and 15 days from the taxi unions and the unions decided to honour his request.

According to Das, the minister had admitted that diesel prices had been hiked in four phases totaling Rs5 per litre of diesel in the last two years.

Earlier in the week, the state government decided that bus owners be given a Re1 subsidy on diesel. However Das said that the government had not addressed the balance hike of Rs4 and had demanded that the unions be allowed to make up for the amount by hiking the fares.

Given the fact that the taxi owners have to ply their vehicles at a loss of Rs9 per litre, Bimal Guha, president of Bengal Taxi Association said, the minister would have to do something. He added that the taxi owners have demanded that the cess levied on each litre of diesel be reduced and the revenues be cut too.

The unions have given a deadline of 22 August after which they have threatened to go in for an indefinite strike from 23 August if their grievances were not addressed.

Kundu said the government was trying to find a way out without a fare hike. He added that all stakeholders would have to be consulted and the government needed time for that.