138 drivers, conductors of HR placed under suspension

Chandigarh: The state transport department on Saturday placed 138 regular drivers and conductors, including executive members of the Haryana Roadways Workers Union, under suspension as the strike by the roadways employees entered the 11th day. It comes along with an action planned by various departments against their employees, who participated in the call for mass casual leave given by the Sarv Karamchari Sangh to support the union, on Friday.
Anoop Sehrawat, president of the union, on Saturday asked the members of the union and other departments’ employees to intensify the strike.It came after the Haryana government claimed that 80 agitating employees, who included 30 drivers, 20 mechanics and 15 probationers, had returned to duty on Saturday afternoon. The government also claimed to have started the recruitment of 905 drivers and conductors under contractual employment.
“We are into the last leg of the fight against the government. It is a matter of just a few days. The government is threatening us to arrest the members of the Haryana RoadwaysWorkers Union state executive, but this will not be done,” said Sehrawat.
According to information, Haryana Roadways managed to make 120 routes operative using 2,405 buses, which include 1,059 run by the cooperative societies.
Meanwhile, an official spokesman of the transport department confirmed action against 138 employees. “We exercised maximum restraint in acting against them. We had been calling them for dialogue. Their demand of withdrawal of outsourcing of buses is not related to the welfare of employees. So far, as action against those joined who mass casual leave is concerned, we have identified the employees and action against them is imminent. The drawing and disbursing officers (DDOs) have been issued necessary directions,” he maintained.
Meanwhile, sources said that on Saturday, Haryana parliamentary affairs minister Ram Bilas Sharma and transport minister Krishan Lal Panwar were summoned by the BJP high command to New Delhi. The ministers remained inaccessible. But members of the union coordination committee hinted at an intensified strike from Monday onwards as the Sarv Karamchari Sangh will also finalize its strategy.
Jind: A prominent khap of Jind district came forward on Saturday to extend support to the striking Haryana Roadways workers. Members of Binain khap have decided to sit on dharna on Monday at Danoda village of Jind district. Talking to TOI, Raghuvir Singh Nain, a spokesperson of the khap, said members of Haryana Roadways Workers Union had approached them to seek their support for the strike. He said people from different villages would sit on dharna for one day as a symbolic gesture and after that if the Haryana government didn’t withdraw its decision to engage 700 private operators in the state, they would launch an indefinite agitation. Nain said Binain khap had 52 villages under its jurisdiction.