Staff protest ‘unjust’ action by Delhi authorities against roadways buses

Ajay Joshi

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, November 19

Agitating against the clampdown on Punjab Roadways’ Volvo buses by the Delhi transport authorities over ferrying passengers to the Delhi International airport, roadways workers here today protested against the “unjustified action” of the Delhi transport authorities and also blamed the state Transport Minister for being negligent towards their troubles.

Members of the Punjab Roadways Employees Sanjhi Action Committee (SAC) said stones were also hurled at the Volvo buses of the roadways at the airport.

Vice-president of the SAC Baljit Singh said if the roadways buses were prohibited from ferrying passengers to the airport than why Indo-Canadian buses were permitted for the same. The members alleged that the roadways has to bear the brunt due to the political interference as the Indo-Canadian buses were owned by SAD leaders.

Baljit said: “It is unfair that the roadways buses were not allowed to move beyond Delhi Bus stand and Indo-Canadian buses were allowed to take passengers to the airport. Owing to this unjustified order, roadways is facing losses worth lakhs of rupees for the past few days. Moreover, passengers also prefer to board roadways buses due to affordable fares.”

Notably, the Punjab Roadways charges Rs 1,065 per passenger while the Indo-Canadian firm takes an amount of around Rs 3,000, including tax, from a passenger. All workers under the SAC would gherao the residence of the Transport Minister in Dinanagar on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, protesting against the Transport Minister and the Punjab Government, president of SAC Salwinder Kumar said whatever promises the minister had made in the favour of employees of the roadways had not been fulfilled yet.

He said the members criticised the transport minister’s indifferent behaviour towards their demands. Another member Pradeep Kumar said before coming into power, the Congress had promised to make efforts for the development of roadways workers. However, ever since it came to power, the workers have suffered more.

He added debt-free buses had also not been added to the roadways’ fleet yet. A new timetable, to be framed for regularising roadways and private buses, was still pending.

Moreover, a meeting was held between committee members and transport minister in September this year in which the minister had assured that all their demands would be heard, which included implementation of Supreme Court’s ruling of equal work equal wages, transport policy of 1990 and reframing the timetable of all buses so that there would be no monopoly of private buses.

Besides, their demands include implementation of the Old Pension Scheme and free travel allowance to roadways employees and their family members.