10 CTU buses, Finance Secy’s car attached

CHANDIGARH: In a major embarrassment for the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU), its newly bought 10 midi buses, which were inaugurated by city MP Kirron Kher five days ago, were today attached along with the official vehicles of UT Finance Secretary Sarvjit Singh and the General Manager of the undertaking for not complying with an order of the local court to release financial benefits of its four drivers.

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 25

In a major embarrassment for the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU), its newly bought 10 midi buses, which were inaugurated by city MP Kirron Kher five days ago, were today attached along with the official vehicles of UT Finance Secretary Sarvjit Singh and the General Manager of the undertaking for not complying with an order of the local court to release financial benefits of its four drivers.

Kirron had flagged off 49 midi buses from the ISBT, Sector 43, recently. The buses have been involved in controversies right from the beginning. First, the CTU inordinately delayed the process for buying the buses due to which the state transport authority had imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on the passing of each bus. The vehicles remained off road for a month after being bought. Now that they had started plying, the court issued the attachment orders.

This is the second time that the official car of the Finance Secretary has been attached by the court. In November 2015, his car was attached in a property case by a local court.

The case

The CTU had stated the process for the recruitment of drivers against regular posts in 1998. Four drivers — Harbans Singh, Harchand Singh, Harnek Singh and Jora Singh — were recruited for 89 days on a contact basis. However, since the regular posts were not filled, they were asked to continue. The services of the drivers were terminated in 2007. They then moved the labour court, which ordered that they be allowed to rejoin and from the day of their termination till their rejoining, they be paid 50 per cent of their salaries. The CTU had moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court against this order.

Chief Justice Shiavax Jal Vazifdar stayed the 50 per cent salary payment order but maintained that 25 per cent salary be paid to the drivers by March 31, 2015.

However, the CTU did not care two hoots to implement the order of the High Court. Following this, the employees filed an execution petition through advocates DR Kaith and Vishal Gupta in the District Courts. CJM Akshdeep Mahajan today ordered the attachment of the vehicles.