No uniformity with rules

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, June 21

While the outgoing SAD-BJP government provided summer and winter uniforms for the roadways driving staff, thanks to a 25-year-lull in sporting uniforms, none of the drivers in the state is willing to dispense with the age-old habit of going about their duties in civvies.

While drivers of state transport buses of many of the neighbouring states wear uniforms, in Punjab, drivers are skipping the practice at least as of now. After 25 years, in 2017, the staff of the roadways received two pair of uniform just two months back- one each for summers and winters provided to them by the outgoing Badal government. Traditionally, while it was for the first time in 1992 that drivers, conductors and staff of the Punjab Roadways received uniforms, it was then in 2015 that SAD-led state government claimed Rs 62 lakh would be allocated for the staff uniform, but nothing happened in this regard.

“Earlier the staff did not have uniforms as it was not provided by the government, so no question of wearing the uniform arose. But as of now the uniforms have been received, but drivers and conductors are still not seen abiding by the dress code. The responsibility solely lies with them. They say they have a single pair of uniform which they can’t wear every day, sometimes they say uniform has gone to laundry and other day they say they forgot to wear the uniform,” said Maninder Pal Singh, General Manager, Punjab Roadways, Jalandhar.

Sub- Inspector Surjit Singh claimed, “It’s been just two months that the permanent staff of the Punjab Roadways received the uniform, many uniforms still lie in process of stitching and a few have started wearing it. Soon, the whole staff including drivers, conductors will be seen in uniforms.”

Punjab Roadways GM, Hoshiarpur, said, “Wearing uniforms gives separate recognition to the employees and it even becomes easy for the public to locate the staff. Moreover, we keep checks on the staff if they are wearing the uniform or not. We ensure from our side the rules and regulations implied by the government are properly followed.”