Pre-bid meeting of Chandigarh Transport Undertaking cancelled after protest

Amarjot Kaur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 29

Over 300 CTU employees and members of citizens’ groups protested at the Sector 43 bus stand today against a pre-bid meeting organised in connection with a scheme for the tendering of 20 AC buses, saying that the move was aimed at privatising the bus service.

Though the CTU shelved the meeting, the UT Director (Transport), Pradhuman Singh, said it had not been done because of the protest, but because he was busy with election duty.

Meanwhile, president of CTU Workers Union Dharminder Singh Rahi claimed that the meeting was cancelled after the director had a meeting with them.

“This protest is triggered by the tender of kilometer scheme for 20 buses, out of 41 AC buses. It may be recalled that the union had reached an agreement with the Administration in 2016 and approved the purchase of 120 HVAC and 40 ordinary buses and these buses were to be procured by the CTU out of its budget,” said Rahi.

He added, “Two depots of the CTU, number 2 and 4, have already been privatised and brought under the ‘Chandigarh City Bus Services Society’. And now, they are planning to privatise buses of Long Route Depot No. 1 under the kilometer scheme, which is absurd and wrong.”

The union, joined by over 10 worker unions and citizens’ groups, warned the officials of the Chandigarh Administration that if the tender was not cancelled, they would block the entire city.

Pradhuman Singh while talking with The Tribune said, “There is no existing bus to be privatised. This move will not have any effect on the existing CTU drivers or ticket price. The pre-bid meeting was called off as I was busy with election duty, being the returning officer of four wards.”

The protest was attended by about 200 people from several organisations, including the Samyukt Karamchari Morcha, Contractual Karamchari Sangh, AITUC (Chandigarh), Samyukt Kisan Morcha, INTUC (Chandigarh), UTSS Federation, Unrevised and Partially Revised Front of Punjab, CRTC and PUNBUS Contractual Workers Union, Pendu Sangharsh Committee and the Housing Welfare Association, Chandigarh.