Chandigarh, July 10 - Hundreds of students here were affected as nearly 500 private schools buses went off the roads Friday against the administration's decision to fine and impound any buses plying without speed governors.

The administration had given time till July 10 to bus operators for installation of speed governors.

'The administration is devising ways to harass poor bus operators. Earlier, they increased the permit fees from Rs.650 to Rs.25,000 and now they have instructed us to install speed governors in the buses,' Manjit Singh, president of the Chandigarh school bus operators' welfare association, told IANS here Friday.

'We are ready to abide by the administration's directions but we need some time. Each speed governor costs around Rs.14,000 and this is a big amount to spend for most of us. We have decided to go on an indefinite strike from today and want the administration to extend its deadline,' he added.

Singh said 60 percent of the school buses had already installed speed governors but they would also remain off-road till their demands were accepted by the administration.

However, the Chandigarh administration is in no mood to relax the deadline.

'We have already given enough time to bus operators to install speed governors. The earlier deadline was December 2008 and it had been extended two times before,' Vandana Disodia, the state transport authority (STA) secretary, told IANS.

'We will impose fine on the school buses, without speed governors, travelling on the city roads.