Udupi : Members of the Udupi district Congress unit staged a dharna in front of the Clock Tower here on Thursday, protesting against private bus operators, who they said had acted “against public interest” by getting 55 low-floor government bus permits cancelled in Udupi district.

Addressing the protesters, Janardhan Bhandarkar, general secretary of the unit, said the low-floor government buses were introduced in the district because of public demand. The city and mofussil services have been a monopoly of private buses for decades in the district. However, the private operators ply only on trunk routes. Their bus services in rural areas are based on calculation of profit, and thus they operate in some areas only during peak hours, he said.

He said some remote and Naxal-affected areas lack bus services, and the State government had no alternative but to launch a bus service in the district to meet the growing demand. The government did not bow down to the lobbying of the strong private bus owners in the district then, he said.

Mr. Bhandarkar added that it was a well-known fact that the crew of private buses behave rudely with passengers. Instead of indulging in healthy competition, the private sector is trying to muzzle the government bus service, he said.

He also said the BJP has curiously been silent, both when low-floor buses were introduced in the district and after the quashing of permits.