Thiruvananthapuram:
Kerala is looking into the demand for a fare hike by bus operators in the state in the backdrop of the rise in diesel price and will take a decision on it before October 10, a minister said on Wednesday.
Transport Minister Aryadan Mohammed announced this after a discussion with private bus operators in Thiruvananthapuram, who withdrew their proposed strike for a fare hike after the assurance by the state government.
There are more than 30,000 private buses operating in the state, while the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation has just 5,115 buses.
"On Wednesday morning I along with a few ministers met Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and had informal discussions on this issue," the transport minister said.
"Later we decided to ask the Justice Ramachandran Commission to submit their report on this issue after taking into account a study done by the National Transportation Planning and Research Centre by Sep 30 and we will decide on the hike before Oct 10," said Mr Mohammed.
"We will certainly come with a proposal which will see that it's not detrimental to the interests of this industry and the stake holders," added Mr Mohammed.
The bus operators demanded a hike soon after diesel price went up last week by Rs.5/litre.
The state-owned buses operate in the cities besides operating on long distance routes and people are mostly dependant on private buses across the state.