Now before you dismiss me as an unsympathetic wretch, let’s get some facts correct. Strikes, as defined, in the Industrial disputes act, were banned by the Supreme Court of India, in relation to matters that hampers "regular working of public life". Well, it doesn’t need a Sherlock Holmes act to deduce that bus transportation in Bengal, is a necessity for regular working of public life. Now being completely unbiased, we should accept one fact that even in this changed social order, and the neo-liberal world, strikes cannot be just simply ruled out as a primitive way of solving problems. The total thought process being unchanged we cannot impose any ruling on anyone, regardless of the consequences. Anyway, let us now review the causes and the effects of the bus strike that happened recently in Bengal.

We all know by a recent ruling, Sec 304 of the Indian Penal Code, any "accidents" in the roads, regardless of the cause, is attributed to the drivers. It is a non-bailable offence, which almost equates (don’t ask how!) negligence to culpable homicide almost amounting to murder. How can one even expect that in the Indian roads, where probably even a roller will need a shock absorber, a normal human being travelling in any mode of public transport, go out normal and return with a spondylitis, leaving out our ornaments of the roads, the unruly pedestrians, it is a question that is baffling the philosophical minds as to how can accidents "not" happen? That doesn’t justify rash driving of course. The bus drivers, red blooded, and in the fullest competitive spirit, reflecting the youth and determination of shining India, indulge in doing James Bond acts and show their driving skills on the roads. The fact remains that ultimately in both the aspect the sufferer is the common people. They die as pedestrians, when their fate aided by a racing bus and unruly behaviour, lands them in hell. They die as commuters, when they have to run like cattle in order to catch an elusive vehicle in the day of the strike.

Coming to the bottom line, after debating within one self over the advisability of a bus strike, or for that matter the justification of calling the same, one cannot deny the fact only condemning the drivers and putting all the blame on them, without calling a spade a spade, won’t be probably a matter of healthy conscience. The need to control the pedestrians is equally important; otherwise we will continue seeing this phenomenon, happening like a close ended vicious cycle.