KOCHI: West Kochi wore the look of a hartal on Thursday with the private buses in the area keeping off the roads.The passengers had a tough time as the crew of around 200 private buses took part in the strike, demanding immediate hike in their wages and better facilities at Fort Kochi bus station. “It has been a year since the agreement between the owners and workers ended. Though there were umpteen discussions, the wages of the workers remain unchanged,” said Shanmughadas, Bus Workers Union secretary. But the bus owners say the strike should have been avoided as the issue of wage hike is under discussion. “They haven’t served any notice on us in this regard. The strike was unnecessary in the wake of the ongoing discussions,” said M B Sathyan, secretary of Private Bus Operators Association. But the bus workers say the unending discussions are of no use.Another issue for the strike is the inadequate facilities at Fort Kochi bus station. “The bus station, which was inaugurated months ago does not have proper facilities. We raised the issue many a time, but the authorities have not taken any step in this direction so far,” Shanmughadas said. There isn’t any urinal or shelter for the passengers. The bus station lacks basic infrastructure, he said. Thiru Kochi comes to their rescueGiving a slight relief to the passengers, the KSRTC operated additional services in West Kochi, by bringing more buses from Cherthala and interiors in Kochi. More buses were pressed into service in Kumbalanghi, Mattanchery, Fort Kochi and Thoppumpady areas, the KSRTC said. “We have deployed our checking inspectors at Thoppumpady to handle the situation,” said P L Jose, KSRTC Zonal Officer.
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