Justin D’Silva

Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (EP)

Udupi, Dec 14: “The statement by state bus owner’s association treasurer and BJP district president, Kuyilady Suresh Nayak expressing concern that ordinary people are devastated by the protests of state transport employees is welcome. The state government is wasting time on discussions over the transport workers’ demands that they should be considered as government employees. Kuyilady should say who is responsible for it. When we see that Kuyilady is urging to allow private carriers in the state to transport passengers, it appears that he is supporting private transporters. The state government will receive crores of rupees as tax in their treasury if it allows private operators. It is a ploy to push government corporation bus employees to the street. How justifiable is his statement when private buses are charging double the fare of government buses. Private buses are charging exorbitant rates taking undue advantage of government bus staff protests. The state government has completely failed in responding to the protests,” said Udupi district Congress president Ashok Kumar Kodavoor responding to the statement by the BJP district president.

Congress leader and municipal councillor Ramesh Kanchan said that the statement by Kuyilady Suresh Nayak is unfortunate. Ramesh Kanchan said that former minister Pramod Madhwaraj had run nurm buses to village limits where private buses were not running during his term. But nurm buses stopped due to the negligence of district representatives during the current BJP rule. "It shows the private bus lobby at work. People in villages are struggling even now as private buses do not ply in village limits. Kulyilady Suresh Nayak is looking for his gain even in the protests by transport workers. He does not want government buses. There is a ploy to run private buses making protests by government bus employees as a tool. The government should immediately respond to the demands of the government bus employees. It should also make sure that government buses run in villages also.”