CHANDIGARH - Bus operators of private schools in the city continued their strike for the fourth day Monday against a government order making it mandatory for all such buses to install speed governors.

Over 500 privately owned school buses were off the roads for the fourth day, posing problems to parents and school children.

Around 50,000 students, studying in nearly 60 private schools here have been affected by this strike.

The administration, which had set July 10 as the deadline for all buses to install speed governors, extended the last date to Sep 30.

But the operators are also demanding a reduction in the permit fees and a permission to run buses older than 15 years.

“It is fine that administration has extended the deadline of installing speed governors. But that is not enough as there are many other irregularities in the rules and regulations prescribed to us,” Manjit Singh, president of the Chandigarh School Bus Operators’ Welfare Association, told IANS.

“They had increased the permit fees from Rs.650 to Rs.25,000. We want them to take this decision back. The administration has also barred those school buses that were more than 15 years old, but at the same time they have no problem with decades old state-run buses.”

Chandigarh Home Secretary Ram Niwas said: “Understanding the seriousness of the situation, we have extended the last date of installing the speed governors to Sep 30 but the operators are still adamant.”

“We cannot allow them to drive buses that are more than 15 years old as it will amount to playing with the life of schoolchildren. Moreover very few buses, only around 100, come under the bracket that have to pay Rs.25,000 as permit fees. Rest are paying very minimal amount,” Niwas said.

“If the bus operators do not change their attitude and call off the strike, we would cancel their permits,” he said.

The government-owned Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) has decided to start 60 more buses to help the students.

“I have taken a half-day leave from the office to pick my children from their school. There is a big traffic jam on all the roads leading to the school. It took nearly an hour to reach the school that is just at a 15-minute drive from my office,” Rajat Gupta, a parent, told IANS.