Commuters hit as talks to end bus stir fail

He said any bus operator who refused to operate his bus or hamper any other bus from plying and creating law and order problems would be booked under ESMA which was non-bailable.

Commenting on STA president Ramesh Dalal’s threatening that they would not be cowed down by any pressure and ESMA would only prove counter-productive, the Minister said he would request the employees to stagger their office timings so that congestion in the buses could be reduced.

Gupta said many people had been arrested by the police but no bus had been impounded so far, as he had threatened yesterday. He, however, failed to give the number of people arrested.

He said Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh had sent some buses and had agreed to send more but the number was not known. Referring to the demands of the bus operators for extending the permit for another five years and extension of permits on the powers of attorney basis, Gupta said Section 81 of the Motor Vehicles Act, clearly laid down guidelines for extension of permits.

Regarding power of attorney condition, he said the demand would not be met as it appeared a “blackmail” and “they are trying to hide their other crimes in the garb of the demand.”