Bus and minibus operators on around 10 routes across Calcutta have decided to resume their operations from Saturday after the state government said it would clear their dues within a few days.

The government owed the operators money for transporting personnel and materials during the pandemic.

“The state government has already paid the bulk of the amount. The finance department has decided to release the pending amount shortly and it would be passed on to the bus owners,” said a senior official of the transport department.

Following the assurance, the agitating owners have agreed to roll out their buses from Saturday. The owners, who said the government owed them Rs 42 lakh, threatened to disrupt services again if the government went back on its promise.

On Wednesday and Thursday, many commuters had to struggle reaching their destinations across Calcutta as private buses on around 10 routes went off the roads. Among the affected routes were Esplanade-Akra Phatak, Pailan-Howrah, New Alipore-Ruby rotary and Park Circus-Purbachal Housing Estate (Salt Lake).

The transport department had hired close to 40 buses and minibuses to transport personnel, including frontline health workers, and materials such as sanitisers, masks and medical equipment during the lockdown.

Between May and June, some of the buses were used to ferry migrant labourers who had returned from other states to places in Nadia, Bankura and Purulia.

“Between March 26 and September 28, the state government had hired the buses on an emergency basis. The owners received a part of their dues till June. We were told the rest would be cleared within a month,” said Pradip Narayan Bose, of the West Bengal Bus and Mini Bus Owners Association.

“As the year draws to an end, the transport department has told us that the outstanding amount would be cleared within the next few days. The protesting owners have decided to resume operations from Saturday.”