Private bus operators in Vadakara taluk resorted to a dawn-to-dusk strike on Friday (July 4), flaying the poor condition of service roads along the Kozhikode-Kannur National Highway. The strike was called by a joint action committee of various trade unions after their recent talks with the Revenue department authorities failed to address the demands.
Inter-district service between Kozhikode and Kannur was disrupted throughout the day, putting the commuters at the receiving end. Only Kerala State Transport Corporation buses were allowed to operate long-distance trips. Joint action committee leaders said all private bus operators in Vadakara taluk cooperated with the token protest. “There were also passengers who expressed solidarity with our concerns,” they said.
“We resorted to the token strike as there were no firm assurances from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials and the Revenue department staff regarding the time-bound execution of road renovation works. We were also not happy with their proposal for temporary filling works,” said a functionary of the joint action council. He said an indefinite strike would be declared on the route if the situation was not improved in the days to come.
Bus workers from Vadakara taluk complained that the pothole-ridden service roads were causing serious mechanical issues to vehicles forcing them to set aside a huge fund every day for repair works. Recurring snarls and bumper-to-bumper traffic were also found affecting the fuel efficiency causing further loss to the ailing industry, they claimed.
“Two weeks ago, there was a similar protest by private bus operators on the Vadakara-Koyilandy and Vadakara-Perambra route, raising the same issue. No action was taken to repair the roads. The contractors associated with the six-laning works are seemingly indifferent to our demands,” said M. Rajendran, a local functionary of the Private Bus Operators Association. He complained that the sluggish road work continued to be one of the major reasons for the increasing number of road accidents on the route.
Published – July 04, 2025 06:53 pm IST
