The Hindu Business Line : No fare hike for now; pvt buses in Kerala to stay off the road

The Government wants some more time, at least until the Onam festivities are over, but the bus owners feel the Government is merely trying to buy time to postpone decisive action.

Thiruvananthapuram , July 30

EFFORTS at ending the five-day-old strike by private bus operators ended in a deadlock after a full meeting of the State Cabinet expressed itself against an immediate fare hike and a crack Cabinet sub-committee failed to find common ground with the bus operators' federation in bilateral talks that followed.

Addressing newspersons on the proceedings of the Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister, Mr A.K. Antony, said the Government did not think it was proper to announce a hike in fares just yet.

While it was appreciated that frequent hike in diesel and spare parts had left bus operators with not many options, the Government wanted some more time - at least until the Onam festivities got over - to subject the demand to careful consideration and more discussions before committing itself, he added.

But the operators' federation stuck to its line that the Government was merely trying to buy time to postpone decisive action on an issue that has reverted to it many times in the recent past. It is not anymore possible to leave things as they are since the survival of the trade is at stake, the operators said.

Meanwhile, the second round of talks between a Cabinet Sub-Committee and the Kerala State Private Bus Operators' Federation and the All-Kerala Bus Operators' Organisation failed to make any headway, with the two sides sticking to their positions.

Package for farmers: The Cabinet also took a slew of decisions to help debt-ridden farmers in the State, some of whom had committed suicide, mainly in Wayanad district. The relief measures included waiver of interest and penal interest on loans up to Rs 50,000.

The Chief Minister told newspersons that the Government would undertake to pay up interest and penal interest for three years with respect to loans up to Rs 50,000 availed by farmers during the year 2000.

The relief would be applicable to all loans contracted from co-operative and commercial banks. Implementing this scheme in the worst-hit Wayanad district alone would mean an outgo of Rs 90 crore from the Exchequer. Arrears in crop loss compensation amounting to Rs 6 crore due to farmers in the district would also be disbursed soon, the Chief Minister said.

Procurement policy: In another decision, the Cabinet gave its nod to the proposal for procuring coffee, pepper and arecanut directly from the farmers for a `reasonable' price. According to the Chief Minister, a committee of high-level officials had been constituted with a mandate to work out details of the scheme and submit a report within the next two weeks.

Based on the recommendations therein, the Cabinet would fix the price for procurement of the notified crops, which task would be assigned to a separate agency.

Farmers throughout the State would benefit from the scheme, the Chief Minister added.

College Bill: The State Government proposes to seek the intervention of the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, in getting a State law on self-financing professional colleges incorporated in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.

A Supreme Court judgment issued on Thursday upholding the 50:50 ration for management and Government quota for admissions in self-financing professional colleges had posed difficulties to the State Government, the Chief Minister said.

The judgment had expressed itself against the provision fixing the fees for those in the merit quota in the self-financing colleges on par with the corresponding course in Government-run colleges.

The State Government had initiated steps to include the Kerala Self-Financing Professional Colleges (Prohibition of Capitation Fees and Procedure for Admission and Fixation of Fees) Act in the Ninth Schedule.

Mr Antony said that he would be writing to Dr Singh and the Home Minister, Mr Shivraj Patil, in the matter.

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