Haryana Roadways Employees Union to go on one-day strike today

Protesting against the state government’s policy of granting permits to private operators, the Haryana Roadways Employees Union will go on a one-day strike on Tuesday. Thousands of commuters will face difficulty who depend solely on roadways buses.

Haryana Roadways Workers Union President, Sarbat Singh Punia on Monday said, “We are protesting the government’s policy of granting permits to private operators. The government is planning to privatise the roadways.”

The strike will take place on Tuesday and the Roadways buses will remain off road from all 24 depots in the state, he said. “We don’t want to put common people to inconvenience, but people will understand that what we are doing is in everybody’s larger interest,” Punia said.

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It is to be noted that the roadways employees went on a three-day strike earlier as well in April 2017. “The government is promoting privatisation, which is not acceptable. We demand cancellation of permits given to private operators to ply buses on some routes,” he added.

Talking about the shortage of drivers and conductors, Punia said, “There is also shortage of drivers and conductors. We need 16,000 buses to cater to the 2.5 crore population of Haryana. Rather than thinking to privatise the roadways, the government should think of adding more buses and improving the services.”

“There is no demand to privatise roadways from the people of Haryana, so why should the government show haste,” he further added.

When questioned about the duration of the strike, he said that it will depend on the government’s response on Tuesday.

With inputs from PTI.

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