Kozhikde: There is no end in sight for the indefinite strike called by private bus owners in Kerala as the talks held by transport minister A K Saseendran with the protesters remained inconclusive.

The bus owners made it clear that they would not call off the strike as the government refused to entertain their demand for further hike in fares.

The discussion, held at the government guest house here, lasted for over two hours. In the beginning itself, the minister conveyed the government's stance that it would not allow the bus owners to hike the minimum charge and the concession for students. The bus owners stood firm that they would not call off the strike unless the concession rate is hiked. The strike began on Friday.

The bus owners launched the strike demanding that the minimum fare should be raised to Rs 10, a day after the government increased it to Rs 8 from Rs 7. They also want the student concession raised from Re 1 to Rs 5.

It was a daunting time for travelers as about 13,000 private buses stayed off the roads. The northern districts, that have the maximum number of private buses, were the worst-affected.

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