Bus strike stirs trouble

Statesman News Service

MALDA, April 4: Though the district administration had requested private bus owners and leaders of workers’ union to restore bus services and call off the on going strike in northern part of Malda district, the situation has not been restored even today ~ the third day of the strike. Commuters in this part of Malda are facing a lot of inconvenience due to the strike.The leaders of private workers’ union backed by the RSP and other unions have threatened to call a strike across the district from Saturday morning if police do not arrest the assailants who had beaten up a driver and his helpers on Wednesday. The bus owners and leaders of workers’ union alleged that some members of the Student Federation of India (SFI) beat up a driver and his helpers following an altercation regarding bus fare when the bus was broke down midway. The driver and his colleagues lodged an FIR at the Ratua police station and the RSP backed workers’ union has decided not to ply private buses in this region. The additional district magistrate (general) Mr PC Shit said: “The bus owner’s Association and workers’ union have agreed to call of their strike from Friday morning after a discussion with me and Malda SP till late in the night yesterday.” The Chanchal SDO Mr Debasish Sarkar said: “We had initiated a dialogue with the block development officer and IC of police station twice regarding the matter but failed to deter the bus workers’ union from calling a strike. The matter was then informed to the district headquarters and the leaders of the workers’ union agreed to discuss the matter with the ADM.”On the other hand, Mr Nanda Kishor Majumdar, leader of the RSP backed workers’ union said: “If the police do not arrest the SFI activists by Friday afternoon we would go on a strike from Saturday morning”. Mr Majumdar has called a Press conference regarding the matter at 8 pm in the evening today. The Malda SP, Mr Satyajit Bandyopadhayay said: “We cannot arrest the culprits as the workers’ union had withdrawn the FIR from Ratua police station and we cannot lodge a fresh FIR on the incident according to their demand.” The union leaders and bus owners Association countered the fact by saying that they were pressurised by the police to withdraw the FIR. “I have asked them to lodge a complaint against the police officer who pressed them to withdraw the FIR. We will inquire into the case,” said Mr Satyajit Bandyopadhdyay.