Mitra said the various unions would hold another meeting on July 28 to discuss further developments. Sobhon Chattopadhyay, Trinamool Congress-led unions’ leader, said that the party would wait for Mamata Banerjee to come back to the city before taking a decision.

“Didi will be here in a couple of days and we will sit with her to decide our stand against the government’s ban,” he said.

In a related development, a petition on night-time pollution in the city has been pending in the High Court. Environmentalist Subhas Dutta had pleaded in the court that pollution level at night was much higher than day time.

Filing an affidavit, state transport department had assured the court last September that it would install remote sensing machines at various locations in the city.

The device can identify the polluting vehicles. However, Dutta has now said that the transport department failed to install the device in the city.

Fallout of Howrah tragedy
Govt ready to scrap commission system, wants salaries for drivers
State Minister for Sports and Transport Subhas Chakrabarty on Tuesday announced that the state government will replace the commission system with payment of salaries to bus drivers and conductors. The government hopes to bring legislation in this regard by the end of this year.

“We want to introduce the system of payment of salaries to private bus drivers and conductors. For this, if needed, we will first issue an ordinance and then make the necessary legislation,” Chakrabarty told mediapersons.

This comes in the wake of Saturday’s minibus mishap in Howrah that left a dozen people dead and six others injured. The commission system has been held responsible for the increase in the number of road accidents as buses and minibuses rush to make more trips. Last year, 24 people had lost their lives when a bus fell into Keshtopur canal.

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