No end in sight to transport union dispute in Parwanoo

Tribune News Service

Solan, June 19

The brewing dispute between the Parwanoo Transport Cooperative Society and the Parwanoo Transport Association over the control of the union was far from over as both factions were adamant on their stand.

While a list of 102 members was furnished by the cooperative society before the Assistant Commissioner, Parwanoo, the rival faction, led by INTUC state president Hardeep Bawa, had submitted a list of 450 truckers and staked a claim over the union.

The local administration was caught in a bind as none of the two was ready to budge though efforts were on to solve the dispute. An uneasy calm continues in this industrial town despite the lapse of a week when both factions had clashed and the police deployment continued as a precautionary measure.

Assistant Commissioner SP Jaswal said efforts were afoot to work out an amicable solution though both factions were staking claim over the union. He said though transportation work had begun in this industrial town, the dispute was far from being over.

Members of the Parwanoo Transport Cooperative Society claimed that more members were joining their society and they also demanded to make public the list furnished by the rival group to know which transporters were supporting them, stated its president Amarnath Sharma.

Police recover arms from car

The Parwanoo police recovered two guns, three swords and one sharp-edged weapon from an abandoned Alto car parked near hotel Paradise near the Canter union on the NH 22 here on Thursday evening. The guns were empty and the weapons were hidden in a bedsheet.

The police registered a case under sections of the Arms Act. The incident is being seen as an attempt by one of the warring transport union factions to foment trouble by hiding these weapons close to the union.

Section 144 imposed  

To ensure peace and avert any untoward incident in view of the brewing dispute between the unions in Parwanoo, Solan DC Vinod Kumar enforced Section 144 in Parwanoo  as well as the revenue circles of Tindo and Jabli. All members of truck, Canter and pick-up transport unions of Parwanoo and the Parwanoo Cooperative Society have been directed not to use their fire arms. These orders will remain in force till two months. All members of the unions have been directed to deposit their arms at the nearest police station