Transport strike in Kerala, Odisha

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/BHUBANESHWAR: Normal life was disrupted in Kerala on Tuesday as public and private buses and other vehicles went off the roads in response to a one-day strike called by All India Motor Transport Organisation. The 24-hour strike began on Monday midnight, following which auto-rickshaws, taxis, freight vehicles, state-owned as well as private buses stopped plying across Kerala. Private vehicles, though, continued to ply as usual across the state.

With most vehicles off the roads, there was a huge rush on the Kochi Metro. The transport body is demanding withdrawal of the proposed Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill, since passed by the Lok Sabha but awaiting the Rajya Sabha’s nod. A day-long transport strike and incessant rains also paralysed normal life in several parts of Odisha. Passengers and commuters suffered inconvenience due to the strike called by the All India Road Transport Workers Federation and supported by the All Odisha Transport Workers Federation (AOTWF).

The All Odisha Taxi and Auto-Rickshaw Association (AOTWF) also extended its support to the strike called to protest the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which seeks an amendment to the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.” The Centre must accept the genuine demands. If the amendment comes into force, vehicle owners, drivers as well as insurance companies will face serious losses,” said AOTWF President Janardan Pati. (IANS)