Bus operators stage protest in Kozhikode

They demand tax waiver, interim relief from govt.

Seeking vehicle tax waiver and an interim aid, the district unit of the All Kerala Bus Operators Organisation staged a protest by lighting a lamp near the mofussil bus stand in Kozhikode city on Monday. The protest was organised in the wake of the pandemic-induced financial crisis in the sector, which kept more than 1,000 buses off the road in Kozhikode district alone. The protest was inaugurated by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary P.M. Niyas. Bus operators complained that they were suffering huge loss due to the frequent cancellation of services because of pandemic restrictions. Organisation State secretary K. Radhakrishnan and district vice-president M.E. Gangadharan said the government should seriously consider the request to revise bus fare in the wake of rising fuel prices. Some of the bus owners spoke about the shrinking number of experienced labourers in the sector. Noticing the looming job crisis and poor daily returns, many of them have already moved in search of better jobs abroad and in other States.