Operators defer three-day bus strike in Bengal

People of West Bengal were spared hardship as private bus and minibus operators in the state today deferred their three-day strike from tomorrow as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is not in the country.
"All the syndicates sat together this morning and decided not to go ahead with the strike as the Chief Minister is not in the country," Joint Council of Bus Syndicates secretary Sadhan Das told PTI here.
"We were requested by the state government and Trinamool Congress leadership not to go ahead with the strike at this juncture with the chief minister being in Singapore," he said.
Banerjee is on a five-day visit to Singapore from August 17 to invite investment and partnership.

The private bus and minibus operators are demanding hike in fare. Any strike by them would cause hardship for commuters as passenger transport in West Bengal is largely dependent on private operators.
There are at least 41,000 buses and minibuses operated by private owners, while the state-owned transport corporations ply around 2,000 buses only.