Buses to halt in tracks to protest arrests under non-bailable section

“There are a lot of factors responsible for an accident. A driver alone is not responsible. Such an action by the administration will lead to public violence against the drivers as is already seen in Asansol where a driver was burnt alive,” said Subhas Mukherjee, a member of the RTWF.

“Buses race against each other because of the commission they get on the tickets sold, which the government could not abolish. Irresponsible pedestrians and bad roads are also responsible for the accidents. No driver causes an accident intentionally. Many a times, even the victims are at fault as they do not follow traffic norms,” Mukherjee added.

The trade union arm of the CPI is up in arms against the administration, which decided to act firmly after a spate of bus accidents in which schoolchildren were killed.

In a major accident recently, a bus plunged into a pond killing many passengers. The accident took place because the driver was trying to overtake another.

Several bus owners associations, like the Bengal Bus Syndicate (BBS), have decided to support the strike by lending “moral support”.

Swarnakamal Saha of BBS said, “It is preferable that non-bailable cases are not lodged against the drivers. It is not possible for us to run the buses without drivers and conductors.”

Principal Secretary of the transport department, Sumantra Chaudhury, said: “They have not approached us with any demand. Government buses will ply, even if the private buses and mini-buses do not.”

“We are ready to discuss their demands across the table. That is only possible when they approach us. If we find any group trying to stop the buses from plying, police will take action,” said Home Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty.

Schools will remain open on Wednesday. The Jadavpur University and West Bengal University of Technology have also not cancelled their scheduled semester examinations.