Haryana Roadways staff call off strike after govt accepts demands

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 13

The Haryana Roadways employees’ union leaders on Thursday announced to withdraw their strike forthwith after the state government accepted their demands.

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Earlier, two rounds of meeting between the government and roadways unions failed to end the deadlock over the issue of private permits.

The government had offered to review its Stage Carrier Permit policy to issue permits to private buses, but the roadways unions were adamant on complete scrapping of the policy.                       

Transport Minister Krishan Panwar, ACS (Transport ) SS Dhillon and CM’s Principal Secretary Rajesh Khullar represented the government.

Representatives of various roadways unions participated in the talks.

Employees went on a flash strike on Monday demanding scrapping of the policy under which permits were given to private operators.

The strike was called off by the eight unions of the Haryana Roadways this evening, giving relief to commuters who were badly affected after public buses stopped plying on their regular routes.

Buckling under pressure, the state government said it would frame a new transport policy in which suggestions of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) and office-bearers of state roadways employees unions would be included after discussions.

The decision to call of the strike came after marathon talks held between the unions leaders and state government here.

"The government has decided to take back the policy under which permits were given to private operators," Haryana Roadways Workers Union president Sarbat Singh Punia said.

"Our demand has been met and we have decided to call off the strike with immediate effect," he said.

Panwar also told reporters here that the government has decided to revoke the decision under which 120 roadways employees had been suspended.

The Stage Carriage Permit Scheme drafted by the Haryana government was recently challenged by a private operator in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, he said.

The state government would file an affidavit in the High Court to withdraw the case related to scheme (policy) of 2016-17 which is pending in the court, Panwar said.

"Secretary Transport will file an affidavit before the High Court stating that the state government wants to withdraw the 2016 scheme (transport policy) and intends to bring a new scheme," he said.

When asked if the government had buckled under pressure of the Roadways unions, Panwar said "that is not the case. The step has been taken in public interest".

However, when asked if the government decided to scrap the existing transport policy because it was not in the interest of the public, he said, "Sometimes, some lacunae come to the fore afterwards because of which we have taken this step."

"It won't be fair to say that bureaucrats had not formed a good policy earlier, but there is always room to better it," he said to another question.

The minister said that 853 private buses were operating on 273 routes in the state and they would continue to ply.

He said the permit holders would have to allow persons of 39 categories such as freedom fighters and students, who have been granted the facility of free or discounted travel in state Roadways buses.

Over 13 lakh passengers travel in the state Roadways buses daily. About 4,200 buses, which include luxury Volvo bus service, had come to a halt in the state due to the strike. — With PTI inputs