Transport strike affects life in Tripura, Assam

Agartala/ASSAM: Normal life in Tripura was affected on Thursday as all means of public transport stayed off the roads in support of a nationwide strike called by unions to protest the proposed road transport bill.
Commuters, office-goers and passengers faced inconvenience as buses, small and medium vehicles, auto-rickshaws and even battery-operated rickshaws remained off the roads in response to the 24-hour strike.  “The strike was spontaneous and total. No untoward incident was also reported from anywhere in the state,” Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) working committee member Tapas Datta told IANS.
The transport workers on Thursday also organised protest rallies across Tripura to denounce the new transport bill proposed by the central government.
Various other employees unions and professional organisations have extended their support to the strike.
The nationwide 24-hour strike was called jointly by 12 trade unions, including CITU, All India Trade Union Congress, Indian National Trade Union Congress and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, to protest the proposed Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2014.
Some states apprehend that the proposed Road Transport and Safety Bill would encroach upon their financial, legislative and administrative powers.
Meanwhile,  Normal life in Assam was hit by the 24-hour long nationwide strike called by various transport unions against the proposed Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2015, with private buses, shared taxis and trucks keeping off the roads.  No untoward incident has been reported so far, police officials said.
Except for the government-run Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) vehicles, all private operated city buses and long distance buses as well as shared taxis did not ply.
However, radio taxi services were running as usual, the service operators said. The strike has been called jointly by national-level road transport organisations representing both public and private sector workers, which were affiliated to central trade unions like, AITUC, CITU, BMS, INTUC, HMS, AICCTU, LPF and state-level outfits. Opposing various provisions of the Bill, including obtaining of fitness certificates even for light motor vehicles regularly, the unions were also against the stringent penalties proposed for road accidents. (IANS/PTI)