An indefinite strike has been called by the All Assam Motor Transport Association (AAMTA) on Monday, October 05, in Assam due to which the passengers are facing trouble in commute.

AAMTA is a major transport organization in Assam which has been demanding a hike in the fare prices to compensate for the loss they suffered due to the Covid-19 imposed lockdowns. From 6 am onwards on Monday, all the passenger vehicles such as taxis, buses, and tempos have been removed from the roads.

The association has put forth several demands including the removal of quarterly tax on the vehicles, elevation of bus fare, waiving the road tax for a minimum of one-year, and providing financial relief to the drivers and other transportation sector workers.

They have specified in their statement that since the government is waiving off loans and other taxes after the lockdown restrictions have been lifted, the transport sector should also be considered for tax waiving and financial support.

The general secretary of AAMTA – Pradip Das had made a statement on Sunday, that the government has been giving relief to almost all sectors due to losses suffered because of the Covid-19 pandemic. But transporters have been denied any such measures, forcing them to resort to a strike. Das further added that at present, they are operating buses with 50% of passengers’ capacity, but with the same fares as earlier. He further added on a note of concern that it has become impossible to continue operations, as petrol prices have also gone up by leaps and bounds.

In a response to this strike, a government official from the transport department had said that the department had requested them to postpone or call off the strike, as a meeting with the transport minister is scheduled for Tuesday to redress their demands.

The government is seeking action on this issue and has asked the organization to call off the strike as it will cause inconvenience to a lot of commuters in Assam.

For the ease of the passengers, the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) has come forward offering to operate 250 buses in Guwahati from 6 am to 10 pm on Monday, with a total of 650 such buses running across the entire state.

The author is a student member of Amity Centre of Happiness.