SRINAGAR: Privately owned passenger bus operators staged a massive protest on Wednesday in Jammu, opposing the operation of Smart City e-buses. The transporters have also announced a one-day token strike on Thursday, alleging that the e-buses are affecting their livelihood.
Led by the All Jammu and Transporter Welfare Association, many transporters gathered in the Warehouse of Jammu city, chanting slogans against the administration for ‘illegally’ running e-bus services on various congested routes in Jammu.
Vijay Singh Chib, President of the association, stated that the government and transporters had agreed to run e-buses on uncovered and less congested routes. However, he claimed that the administration unilaterally violated the agreement by starting operations of e-buses on all busy routes, causing hardships to private transporters.
Chib highlighted that when e-rickshaws were introduced earlier, the government failed to address the concerns of auto owners, resulting in unemployment for them. He mentioned that many transporters had purchased their vehicles through loans, and with their livelihoods affected, they would struggle to pay the monthly installments.
Another transporter expressed, “E-buses are intended for uncovered areas of the city, and if they are to operate on overpopulated routes, the government should consider our livelihoods too. This issue has severely impacted our ability to earn a living, and we are struggling to provide for our families.”
The bus operators stated that approximately 80 of their buses have been affected by the issue and appealed to the Lieutenant Governor-led administration to address the matter.
