By IANS,
Raipur : Private bus operators in Chhattisgarh will launch an indefinite strike from Monday midnight after the state government rejected their proposal to hike fares by 50 percent following the fuel hike.
About 12,000 buses will stay off the roads, affecting 450,000 commuters.
The Bus Owners Association said in a statement that the move was being necessitated after the central government increased the prices of petrol by Rs.5 a litre, diesel by Rs.3 per litre and cooking gas by Rs.50 per cylinder earlier this month.
“Bus owners are facing a very tough time due to the hike in petrol and diesel prices. We we have no option but to hike fares,” said Pramod Dube, chief of the association.
“About 12,000 buses plying on various routes in the state will be off the roads from midnight as the government is not allowing us to effect an increase in fares,” he added.