‘3-member committee to look into demands’
By Rajeev Tidyal, NAK,
Jammu : In response to the state-wide indefinite strike call given by Jammu and Kashmir Transport Welfare Association (JKTWA), private commercial transport across the State came to a grinding halt on Monday throwing normal life out of gear, forcing tourists to hire Tongas from the Railway station to reach city.
Meanwhile, state cabinet which met here today under the chairmanship Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has constituted a committee to look into the demands of private transporters hours after they commenced an indefinite strike. “Commissioner Secretary Finance, Commissioner Secretary General Administration Department (GAD) and Transport Commissioner would be the members of the Committee” the cabinet order said.
The committee will interact with the representatives of the transporters and look into their demands and submit their report to the government within a week’s time, maintained sources.
However, reports said that all commercial vehicles remained off the roads and offices and educational institutions reported thin attendance here as state-wide strike against the hike in fuel prices brought life to a standstill across the Jammu and Kashmir.
According to reports, more than 75,000 commercial vehicles went off the roads causing inconvenience to commuters in general and tourists visiting Jammu and Kashmir in particular.
Following hike in prices of petroleum products, the transports have been demanding hike in passenger fares and freight. They were staging protest against the government’s apathy to concede their demand of hike in passenger fares in view of hike in fuel prices.
Besides mini buses, which ply on small distances in the state, the inter-district and inter-state transport vehicles also remained off the roads. Only personal vehicles including two-wheelers, cars etc and Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation (JKSRTC) vehicles were seen plying on the roads.
Reports maintained that the worst-hit were the tourists, who come to Jammu and Kashmir from various parts of the country and abroad.
Both the railway station and general bus stand at Jammu were flooded with the stranded passengers. Reports added that besides transporters strike, heavy showers since early morning added to the woes of tourists and working people.
“In Jammu city, commuters had a tough time reaching their destination due to the strike and heavy rains in the area,” said sources, adding that though the administration tried to meet the challenge by mobilizing buses of its State Road Transport Corporation, the strike of all kinds of commercial vehicles had thrown life out of gear across the state.
“In view of transporters strike, more than 120 traditional ‘tongas’ were also seen plying on different roads particularly from Railway Station to General Bus Stand. Tourists complained over charging by Tonga operators,” maintained reports.
“We reached at Jammu railway station at 8:00 am and came know about the transporters strike. Tonga owners have been charging Rs 25 per head upto general bus stand, a distance of 3 to 4 Kms. Authorities concerned should take serious note of it.”, a tourist from Madhya Pradesh Gautam Trivedi, who had come here to pay obeisance at holy Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, told News Agency of Kashmir.
Reports further maintained that no private transport vehicle plied on any route in the valley in response to the four-day-long strike called by All Kashmir Transporters Welfare Association and other social organizations.
The spokesman of Association at Srinagar informed News Agency of Kashmir that the hike in petroleum products has forced members to adopt agitational path and it will continue till demands of subsidizing petroleum products or raising passenger fares and freight are conceded by the state government.
When contacted, the president of JKTWA T S Wazir maintained that the Association was not interested in strike and tried its best to avoid inconvenience caused to the commuters and tourists but the government’s “rigid attitude” has forced its members to go for a indefinite strike.
He alleged that the passenger fares have not been revised since 2005 despite ‘manifold’ hike in prices of the petroleum products. “We had a meeting with higher officials of government last year and they had assured us for necessary action in this regard. But, it is very unfortunate that the government has not paid attention to the problems being faced by the transporters community. We have been demanding 40 percent hike in passenger fares,” he informed.
It may be mentioned here that the union government last week hiked the prices of petrol by Rs 5 a litre, diesel by Rs 3 a litre and cooking gas by Rs 50 per cylinder.