In Kerala, thousands of commuters were put to misery as private buses in most parts of the state remained off the road, following an indefinite strike called by bus operators. The operators are demanding an upward revision of bus fare among other things. On Monday's talks between the state government and representatives of bus operators in Thiruvananthapuram had failed to make any headway, following which the operators have resorted to indefinite strike. People relying on private vehicles struggled to reach offices, while auto-rickshaws and taxies had a field day. <br/>The misery of the people was compounded by the strike by a section of the Kerala State Transport Corporation employees, demanding payment of DA arrears. In Kochi, the strike caused heavy increase in the number of private vehicles on the city roads, resulting in traffic snarls. Kerala State Road Transport Corporation sources claimed that all important schedules were operated without any disruption. <br/>Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court has come down heavily on the striking private bus operators. Justice P N Ravindran of the Kerala High Court refused to consider a petition by private bus operators on route permits, till the strike is withdrawn. The court noted that the strike by the bus operators has caused lot of inconvenience and trouble for the public. <br/>