Roadways employees refuse to budge, passengers suffer

CHANDIGARH: Incidents of policemen collecting money without issuing tickets and confusion of passengers over boarding school buses outsourced by the state transport department came to the fore as the strike by the Haryana Roadway staffers entered its fourth day on Friday.
With no signs of withdrawal of strike by the workers' union, passengers travelling on state-carrier buses are likely to face more inconvenience.Meanwhile, the general managers of various depots of the roadways across the state have started the process of recruitment of drivers and conductors with immediate effect.
On Friday evening, additional chief secretary of transport department Dhanpat Singh chaired a meeting to discuss possible scenario if the strike is pulled longer. On the other hand, office-bearers of HR workers' union held a meeting in Hisar to discuss future course of action.
Sources said that in Fatehabad, the roadways had availed the services of cops and home guard volunteers for running the buses. In a video, which has gone viral on the social media, an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) deployed as conductor was seen collecting money.
As the video reached district police headquarters, Fatehabad superintendent of police (SP) Deepak Saharan placed him under suspension. "Such things will not be tolerated," he said.
Meanwhile, acting on the requests made by the transport department, school managements on Friday sent their buses to ferry the passengers within the towns.
On Tuesday night, the Haryana Roadways employees had proceeded on strike to press for their demand of withdrawal of 720 buses of private contractors. Initially, the employees had given call for strike on October 16 and 17.
As the transport department and government acted tough by placing three HR officers under suspension and terminated the services of 256 under training conductors, the roadways union leaders announced to intensify their strike. The HR workers' union leaders, who have gone underground, announced to continue the strike till Friday midnight.
Agency reports quoted chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar saying that the decision to introduce 700 private buses was a policy matter.