HYDERABAD, Nov 28: A large number of passengers faced inconvenience on Monday due to a strike by air-conditioned coaches and deluxe buses, plying between Hyderabad and Karachi in protest against police excesses against owners of the coaches and drivers, most of whom were being booked on charges of extortion and under Anti-Terrorism Act.

The strike call was given by the Sindh Bus-Owners Association and Private Transport Workers Union.

Around 250-300 AC and non-AC buses ply between Hyderabad and Karachi daily from two separate points in Latifabad taluka and Baldia bus stand in city taluka. No bus left Hyderabad for Karachi or arrived from there on Monday in response to the strike call which was called off later in the day.

The buses remained parked at the general and Baldia bus stands. Coaches of police foundation, silver line, sitara hilal, VIP, Pak-Karachi, Karachi, Shandar companies normally ply on the Super Highway and the National Highway on various routes.

Police have challaned a number of coach drivers and some people allegedly after owners refusal to pay extortion to the police at Qasim chowk bus terminal. The terminal was auctioned for Rs25.5 million by the Cantonment Board Hyderabad and closed on the directives of Sindh High Court’s principal seat last month after two transporters, Raja Kumar alias Raja Gul and Mir Afzal filed a constitutional petition against the terminus.

The bus owners said that the police had not been allowing the bus drivers to halt buses in the city limits for picking up or dropping the passengers and challaned the drivers for violation on various counts.

According to an official of the CBH, posted at the Qasim chowk bus terminal, the terminus was functioning without any payment of parking fees from coaches drivers who are allowed three minutes time to halt the buses and pick-up passengers. Two military police personnel have also been deployed there.

Currently buses are plying from general bus stand (Badin bus stop) and Baldia bus stand but they were not permitted to pick-up passenger from any area in the city by police and anyone violating the directives was being challaned by the traffic police.