Nearly 20,000 buses to go off the road before Holi:Operators announce statewide strike against new transport policy

A statewide bus strike has been announced in Madhya Pradesh on 2 March, just two days before the festival of Holi. The strike will affect all 55 districts and around 20,000 buses across the state. According to the Madhya Pradesh Bus Operators Association, the state has 12,780 permit-based buses and over 7,000 contract buses. From 6 am on 2 March, all buses will stop operating if the strike goes ahead. The move is expected to cause major inconvenience to passengers, especially those planning to travel home for Holi. Why are bus operators protesting? Bus operators are opposing the state government’s new transport policy. Under the proposed system, the government plans to hand over bus route tenders to seven private companies under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Under this arrangement: Jaykumar Jain, General Secretary of the association, said the current fare is ₹1.25 per kilometre. Under the new proposal, it could increase to ₹1.75 per kilometre. He added that a memorandum has already been submitted to the government. If their demands are not met, the protest will continue. “We do not want to trouble passengers, but we oppose this policy,” he said. Travel may become 5 to 7 times more expensive If buses stop running during the Holi rush, travel costs could rise sharply. For example: Similar fare increases are expected on other routes as well. Government response State Transport Minister Rao Uday Pratap Singh addressed the issue during the Budget Session in the Assembly. He said the new transport policy would not harm bus operators. “The buses and conductors will remain theirs. The government will only supervise operations,” he stated. The minister also noted that around 14,000 buses currently operate in the state, while 16,000 are needed to meet demand. “No one’s interests will be harmed. Everything is being done in an organised manner,” he said. Festival travel in uncertainty With Holi approaching, thousands of families across Madhya Pradesh are waiting for clarity. If talks between bus operators and the government fail, festive travel may become both difficult and significantly more expensive for ordinary passengers.