Kolkata:
The strike called by private bus operators in West Bengal entered its second day today affecting lakhs of commuters in the state. Nearly 37,000 private buses, 6500 of them in Kolkata, have kept off the road since the strike began yesterday calling for a fare hike after diesel prices were increased by Rs 5 per litre on Thursday.
State transport minister Madan Mitra had reached out to the state government ad bus owners association to resolve the issue, however the Joint Council of Bus Syndicate and the Bengal Bus Syndicate stayed away from the meeting. Urging the bus operators to withdraw the strike, Mr Madan asked them to wait for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's response on the Centre's decision on diesel prices, LPG and Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail.
The state government is running its own fleet. The taxis and autorickshaws in the state were in high demand. The commuters are also making a beeline for the Metro Rail and ferry services in the city.
The transport crisis is likely to escalate further when the Bengal Taxi Association will go on a three-day strike from Thursday with a similar demand.
The Chief Minister had on Friday issued a 72-hour deadline to the government for the move to allow FDI in multi-brand retail to be rolled back. Sources have told NDTV that Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to withdraw her ministers from the UPA cabinet if it sticks to its decisions. The Trinamool Congress is expected to take a final call on Tuesday when Ms Banerjee meets with her party's top brass.