Balurghat: Commuters relieved as bus strike lifted

BALURGHAT: Commuters heaved a sigh of relief with bus owners in Balurghat lifting the ongoing bus strike from Tuesday. This decision was taken after receiving assurances from local authorities of looking into their demands and also taking into consideration the inconvenience faced by the public ahead of the upcoming Durga Puja celebrations.

From Tuesday onwards, buses resumed service on various pocket routes from the Balurghat Bus Stand.

The strike, which had started from September 24, was in protest against the unregulated operation of e-rickshaws (locally known as ‘toto’) on key routes such as Balurghat to Hili, Kumarganj, Safanagar, Tapan and Laskarhat.

However, following discussions with district administration officials, the bus owners decided to withdraw their indefinite strike.

Speaking to reporters, Manas Chowdhury, Secretary of the Balurghat Motor Owners’ Association, said: “We attended a meeting on Monday evening with district administrative officials and the Regional Transport

Officer, where we were requested to call off the strike and resume bus services on the affected routes.

In response to their appeal and considering the upcoming festive season, we have decided to lift the strike. From Tuesday, buses have resumed operations on all pocket routes.”

Chowdhury added that while they regret the inconvenience caused to passengers during the week-long strike, the decision was made out of necessity. “The illegal operation of e-rickshaws on our routes is causing significant financial losses.

We were assured that the state will soon issue a unified directive regulating the operation of e-rickshaws. If our demands are not met, we may be forced to resume the strike after Kali Puja.”

Regional Transport Officer Anupam Chakraborty confirmed that discussions with the bus owners were productive and steps will be taken to address their concerns.