Since the government is firm that it is not going to permit any increase in the bus fares, an interim settlement has been reached between the government and the private bus operators. The private bus owners’ association that threatened to go on a strike from Sunday mid night later informed that it had given up the strike action.

It is informed that the proposed strike has been called off following an assurance by A.H.M.Fowzy, the minister of transport and petroleum resources that the prices of fuel would be brought down within two weeks.

Private bus owners sought permission from the government to increase the bus fares by 15% since fuel prices had been increased four times within a year causing a great loss to the bus companies, but, the government maintains that since bus fares were revised last April, it could not agree to any further increase in the bus fares. Minister Fowzy explained that the last increase in bus fares is adequate enough to cope with the recent rise in fuel prices.

Minister Fowzy has further stated although there is a slight fall in the price of fuel in the world market, the government is not in a position to effect any reduction in the fuel prices immediately, as there is already a stock that has been bought at an increased price.

It is strange that the government that has not addressed its mind to provide any relief to the public affected by the fuel price hike has given an under taking to reduce fuel price within two weeks.

The minister has expressed hope that with the government reducing the fuel price, the private bus owners will announce a corresponding decrease in the bus fares for the benefit of the members of the public. Is it a tactic by the government to cripple the proposed strike?

An English translation of the editorial in Thinakkural, a Tamil daily, based in Colombo

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