Lucknow, Oct 20 (IANS): Road transport in Uttar Pradesh is likely to be hit as contractual drivers and conductors of the state run buses have announced that they will go on a strike from Monday night, officials said.

The contractual drivers and conductors of the Uttar Pradesh State Roadways Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) held protest rallies Sunday in Lucknow and other districts against the state government's decision to cancel their contracts if a single passenger is found without ticket in buses.

The state government has said that it would not buckle to the arm twisting tactics of the drivers and conductors. A senior official told IANS that the corporation has already hired fresh contractual drivers and conductors in the wake of strike call.

The official said the district administrations across the state have assured full protection for the public property and additional police force have been deployed to meet any untoward incident.

The UPSRTC has announced that 'Diwali special' buses had started plying from Sunday.