Calcutta, July 5: The Speaker pulled up transport minister Subhas Chakraborty in the Assembly today for announcing a bus fare hike bypassing the House even as operators’ bodies observed a day’s strike demanding a steeper raise.

The strike that was supposed to paralyse rush-hour traffic, however, failed to create much of an impact. Buses, most of them government and mini, were more crowded than usual but there nonetheless.

Transport secretary Sumantra Chowdhury said: “Most minibuses were plying today. On many routes, private buses were also available. The state transport corporations ran about 100 additional buses to make up for any shortfall.”

But Chakraborty faced the heat, from the transporters on one end and Speaker Hashim Abdul Halim on another.

“As the Assembly is in session, you should have informed the House about the government’s decision to increase fares. Every policy matter must be discussed in the House when the Assembly is in session. I have asked all the ministers to be extra cautious in this regard,” Halim said when Chakraborty was subjected to a volley of questions from the Opposition members.

Trinamul Congress members and the lone SUCI legsilator, Debaprasad Sarkar, later staged a walkout in protest against the fare hike.

Asit Mitra of Trinamul said the transport minister decided on the fare hike after consultations with a section of transport operators. “You are in the habit of hiking transport fares every time the Centre increases fuel prices,” he told Chakraborty.

The transport minister said he had taken the Assembly’s permission to set up a commission to decide on fares in the event of a hike in petrol and diesel prices. “The Centre increases fuel prices several times a year. Every time, the operators demand a fare hike. Keeping this in mind, I set up the panel. I have announced the revised fares on the basis of the commission’s recommendation and intend to place its report before the House next week,” Chakraborty said.

Swarnakamal Saha, the president of Bengal Bus Syndicate, one of the bodies that called the strike, said the increased fares would not be charged as the transporters expect the government to reconsider their demand and revise the fares a second time.