Title - Thursday strike won't hit public transport - Western and Central railways, including Harbour Line, w

A railway spokesperson said Western and Central railways, including Harbour Line, would not participate in the strike. "To prevent rail rokos, GRP and RPF personnel will be deployed in large numbers at suburban stations," We will also have policemen and home guards patrolling the compartments," he said. Railway cops will also have officials in mufti outside slum pockets to prevent cases of stone pelting.

MUMBAI: The BEST will arrange for police protection and fix grilles on the windscreens of their buses for Thursday, when the NDA has called a strike against the increase in diesel prices. The undertaking will, however, run fewer buses between 6am and 8am.

While taxi and auto unions will not support the bandh, but they maintained their drivers might go off roads if violence erupted. Suburban trains will run as usual.

"We will take adequate precaution as the BEST incurred losses of lakhs of rupees during previous bandhs and the Azad Maidan protest.

We have asked the police to provide constables to protect our drivers, conductors and passengers," said BEST committee chairperson Ashok Patil. He added that grilles would be installed on windscreens of BEST buses and fewer buses will ply during morning hours.

"From 6am to 8am, we will cut down on our fleet strength by 60 %. Instead of five buses on a particular route, only two buses will ply." On spots and routes where we have faced violence, we have asked for more police bandobast and will ply fewer buses."

Autos and taxis will be out on the streets as usual. have decided to operate vehicles in full strength on bandh day.

"Our drivers will be on the roads since early morning hours.

But if there is any incident of stone pelting or violence, drivers may go off roads. A driver earns Rs 200 daily and a stone damaging his vehicle can cost him Rs 500," said auto leader Thampy Kurien. Taxi union leader A L Quadros also assured that cabs would ply. as would not support the bandh and taxis will be available at domestic/international airports and outside prominent railway stations. "If there is a serious law and order problem, our drivers will be forced to stay off roads.

"The government should ensure that cabbies and automen are protected when they ferry passengers," he said.

MSRTC public relations officer Mukund Dhus said AC Volvo uses from Mumbai to Pune, Nashik, Bengaluru and other places would operate as usual. Transporters, however, will go on strike from Tuesday midnight.

In that case, thousands of trucks and trailers could be off the roads. However, there are indications that the transporters' association may postpone its stir in view of the Ganesh festival which begins from Wednesday.

Schools in Mumbai are yet to decide if the institutes will stay shut on Thursday, but Mumbai University will be open. Most school principals have left the decision up to parents, while others will take the final call by Wednesday evening. "It is too early to decide now. We will tell the parents on Wednesday if the school will be open on Thursday," said Fr Francis Swamy, principal of Holy Family High School, Andheri (E). But a university official said, "We are a semi-government body and we will not onserve the bandh."