THRISSUR: A joint protection forum of Motor Vehicle owners and various organisations called for a token strike on June 18 across the state in protest against the regulation that mandates GPS facility in motor vehicles, including school buses, that are part of the public transport system.
Lorry, taxi, used car dealers, private buses, school buses, etc will take part in the strike. A meeting was held in this regard in Thrissur on Wednesday which was followed by the announcement of a token strike. “We are not against the modernisation efforts, but out of 29 states in India, only Kerala brings such measures without any background facilitation.
The GPS tracking systems are not available as per demand. Those in the market are of higher cost. There is no system to monitor the procedures,” explained Lawrence Babu, state secretary of Kerala State Private Bus Operators’ association. The GPS system has been made mandatory in public transport from June 16.