Transporters' Chakka Jam In Jammu Kashmir On Monday: Here's Why
Jammu and Kashmir transporters claimed that their livelihood was threatened by smart buses, e-challans, fitness tax hikes, and privatisation policies.
Published : December 10, 2025 at 7:19 PM IST
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir passenger transporters have announced a chaka jam (strike) on December 15 to protest against a slew of decisions which they want the government to review but have not been addressed for years.
Around 9000 minibuses and 7000 big buses will halt their service on Monday for passengers, which is going to cripple public movement. These buses provide a livelihood to hundreds of drivers, conductors and owners of these vehicles.
From the introduction of proposed new e-buses by the government in Jammu and Srinagar cities to the privatisation of fitness centres and e-challaning, the transporters said these decisions hit their livelihood and earnings.
The Union territory government introduced 200 e-buses (smart buses) in 2020 under the Smart City project in Srinagar and Jammu cities. The e-challan service was also launched by the Traffic Police, which claimed it would curb traffic violations and decrease road accidents. But transporters argue that all these measures have proved counterproductive to their earnings and hit their livelihood.
Sheikh Yousuf, President of the Kashmir Mini Buses Association, said that the transporters are against the introduction of 200 more smart buses in Srinagar and Jammu. He said the smart buses, which are run by private contractors in a public-private partnership (PPP) mode, have crippled the service of mini-bus service in Srinagar and Jammu cities.
“Smart buses have a free run on all city roads in Jammu and Srinagar, but our minibuses have dozens of diversions and limited routes. Added to the free service for women, these factors have decreased our earnings and hit the livelihood of drivers and conductors. The owners are also in losses,” he said.
Yousuf said the private transporters have also purchased and introduced 300 new buses (Bharat Stage – BS 6 emission standard), which are eco-friendly and fuel-efficient. With more smart buses and free service for women, it will make their new purchases worthless, he added.
The transporters had also put a proposal to the government to run the smart buses themselves to help those drivers who lost their livelihood after their buses expired when the government ordered the discarding of buses with 25 years of use.
“The government should have given the operation of smart buses on contracts to local transporters rather than outsiders. Our demand to the government is to give these e-buses on contracts to us rather than outside contractors, due to whom the government faces a daily loss of Rs 20 lakh,” he said.
The Ministry of Road and Transport also made a steep hike in fitness tax, which has now been renamed as green tax.
The government is also privatising fitness tests to contractors and companies. “Before this green tax was implemented, a bus owner had to pay a fitness tax. Now, it has been renamed as 'green tax' and hiked to Rs 8600. Also, those passenger buses which are 20 years old or older have to pay Rs 25000 as a green tax. This is a steep hike and has forced many operators out of the business,” he said.
The government has replaced its Fitness Boards with Automated Testing Stations (ATS), which are run by private contractors. The Fitness Boards were headed by Assistant Regional Transport Officers in the 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir. One centre has been launched in Jammu city, while a new one was inaugurated by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Pampore in the Pulwama district on November 18 this year. Following protests by transporters in Jammu, the ATS has been put on hold as of now.
“This privatisation will create a monopoly by operators, who will increase fitness rates. Currently, we are paying an Rs 400 to Rs 1000 fee to the Fitness Boards,” he said.
The Ministry of Road and Transport launched an e-challaning system, Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) for the smooth running of traffic and preventing violations of road accidents.
Jammu and Kashmir traffic police have collected Rs 93.43 crore from 71,438 e-challans between 2020 and July 2024. The transporters argue that this e-challaning system has also proved against their livelihood.
“A traffic cop takes the photo of the number plate of a bus and gives any reason, like wrong parking or not wearing of a uniform by a driver, but gives no evidence, which is necessary under Rule 167. This e-challaning is being misused against us, which has doubled our losses,” he said.
From Chief Minister Omar to the Minister for Transport, Secretary of Transport and earlier with Lieutenant Governor, Yousuf said they raised their issues with every resolution authority. “Everyone gave a verbal assurance, but no real action was taken,” he said.
Minister of Transport Satish Sharma told ETV Bharat that the government has approved the issues which the transporters are facing. “They have some genuine demands which we are addressing. E-challans are being misused against them. I will have a meeting with them in a day or two and will resolve their genuine issues,” Sharma told ETV Bharat.
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