Tamil Nadu omni bus operators end strike after 18 days; services to resume today

CHENNAI:Inter-state omni bus services from Tamil Nadu resumed on Friday evening after an 18-day suspension, following assurances from senior Transport Department officials that the ongoing tax-related issues with neighbouring States would be resolved soon, the All Omni Bus Owners Association said.

"In view of passenger convenience and the ongoing Sabarimala pilgrimage season, we have decided to resume inter-state services from Friday evening," Association president A Anbalagan said, urging the public to extend their support as before.

Anbalagan said more than 100 omni buses operating from Tamil Nadu to Kerala were detained on November 7 and fined over Rs 70 lakh. Karnataka authorities similarly impounded over 60 buses and levied penalties of up to Rs 2.2 lakh per vehicle, collecting a total of around Rs 1.15 crore.

Kerala and Karnataka reportedly cited the All India Tourist Permit (AITP) norms notified by the Union government in 2021, pointing out that Tamil Nadu continues to collect road tax from out-of-state buses.

Following these developments, operators halted around 230 buses bound for Kerala from November 7 and suspended all inter-state omni services from November 10, affecting nearly 1,350 buses overall. Anbalagan said operators were unable to run services while paying quarterly taxes of Rs 1.5 lakh in Tamil Nadu, Rs 90,000 under AITP, and roughly Rs 2 lakh in the neighbouring states — a total of about Rs 4.5 lakh per bus per quarter.

The suspension severely hit daily travellers, with more than 25,000 passengers affected each day. Operators suffered losses estimated at over Rs 84 crore in 21 days, and more than 20,000 workers were impacted.

Representatives met Transport Minister SS Sivasankar and senior officials on November 10 and 11 to present their demands. A petition has also been submitted to Chief Minister MK Stalin. Officials have conveyed that a favourable resolution is under consideration.