Govt staff go on mass casual leave

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 26

As the Haryana Roadways (HR) strike entered the 11th day on Friday, thousands of employees of the state government went on one-day casual leave to express solidarity with the striking employees, affecting work in certain departments.

The employees affiliated to Sarv Karamchari Sangh (SKS) and other trade unions took mass casual leave and joined the transport workers for dharna at various places across the state. The Power Department, School Education Department, the PWD (B&R), municipalities, Health Department (anganwadi workers and National Health Mission workers), Rural Development and Panchayats were the departments affected. However, emergency and urgent works were attended to by the employees.

Subhash Lamba, general secretary of the SKS, said the trade unions would not allow privatisation in any of the departments of the state government. “The state government should roll back the kilometer scheme under which 700 buses from private parties are to be inducted in the Haryana Roadways, besides taking back cases registered against the striking transport workers under the Essential Services Maintenance Act”.

The HR employees, who have been on strike since October 16 defying ESMA, announced on Thursday that they would extend the strike till October 29, after of failure of fresh round of talks with Transport Minister Krishan Lal Panwar on October 24.

On a normal day, the 19,000-employee strong HR, with a fleet of 4,100 buses, catered to only 12 lakh out of the 33 lakh daily passengers. Rest of them had to rely to unsafe and unreliable maxi cabs and three-wheelers for commuting. Since the start of the strike on October 16, the situation has become worse with lakhs of commuters being inconvenienced.

Meanwhile, an official spokesman claimed that the mass casual leave of the transport department at the headquarters here proved be a ‘failure’. Despite the leave, 2,165 buses plied on different routes.

The state government has issued directions for the recruitment of 905 conductors under the outsourcing policy, the spokesman added.

1,600 employees marked absent in Y’nagar

Defying the state government order, around 1,600 employees of various departments proceeded on mass casual leave on Friday in support of the warring Haryana Roadways staff.

However, in compliance to the government directive, the heads of the departments had not sanctioned any casual leave and marked the employees as absent.

“The government issued directions on Thursday that no employee would be allowed to proceed on leave. About 1,600 employees of various departments applied for leave for Friday but we did not grant them leave and marked them absent,” said Deputy Commissioner Girish Arora.

He said a report of the absentee employees had been prepared and sent to higher authorities.

According to information, 128 buses of Yamunanagar depot plied on various routes on Friday.

The employees of various departments reached out to the striking employees, who have been sitting outside the gate of Roadways workshop in Yamunanagar.

Work hit in Karnal

Joining hands with protesting roadways workers, hundreds of employees of various departments on Friday took mass casual leave, causing inconvenience to the public.

They took out a march under the banner of the Sarv Karamchari Sangh, Sanyukt Karamchari Manch and Shikshak Talmel Committee. Five members of the sangh observed protest fast.

Employees led by Om Parkash Sinhmar, district president of the sangh, raised slogans against the government for promoting privatisation.

Minister of State Nayab Singh Saini said the government was always ready for dialogue, but employees should not interfere in policy matters.

Parking slips issued as tickets to conductors 

Sonepat: Roadways authorities at Gohana sub depot  were put in an embarrassing situation when the temporarily enrolled conductors were issued parking slips due to non-availability of authorised passenger tickets. As there is no numbering on these parking slips, the Haryana Roadways conductors on strike alleged that it was going to become a big fraud. However, the arrangement was withdrawn after protests from the conductors on strike. Meanwhile, Deepak Kundu, Senior Transport Officer, said the sub depot's conductors were issued passenger tickets valued around Rs 30 lakh before commencing of the strike. But they had not returned the ticket boxes yet. — OC

Mass leave applied but not granted 

• Around 1,600 employees of several departments, including UHBVN, Education, Public Health and PWD,  in Yamunanagar had applied for leave on Thursday but were not granted the same
• The Haryana Government had issued a directive asking heads of various offices and departments, including deputy commissioners, not to sanction casual leave to any employee for Friday
• Deputy Commissioner Girish Arora said a report of the absentee employees had been prepared and sent to higher authorities