Haryana Roadways unions threaten fresh agitation from May 1

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 30

Amidst confusion over implementation of the compromise arrived at in their meeting with the government earlier this month, all eight unions of Haryana Roadways have announced to re-launch their agitation from Monday and continue it till the government withdraws its new transport policy.

“Tomorrow, on May 1, our members will hold protests outside all 24 depots of Haryana Roadways. On May 9, we will gherao Sector 17, Chandigarh, office of additional chief secretary of the Transport Department Sudeep Singh Dhillon, as we believe that his stubborn attitude is responsible for the breach of compromise formula. We will bring all buses to a halt from the day the government issues bus permits to private players under its new policy,” said Sarbat Singh Punia, state president of the Haryana Roadways Workers Union.

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Punia alleged that during a meeting held on April 13 with Transport Minister Krishan Panwar, ACS (Transport) SS Dhillon and other senior officers, they were assured that the government would file affidavit before the High Court that it was withdrawing the policy.

“However, instead of this, the government committed breach of trust with us and has filed an affidavit that it wants to amend the policy,” he alleged.

He said while the minister had been repeatedly assuring them that the government would remain firm on its commitment, the bureaucrats, he alleged, were trying to jeopardise the compromise.

Dhillon, however, maintained that the state government had already submitted an affidavit before the HC that it was withdrawing the policy and the same had been conveyed to the union leaders too, but somehow they were interested in unnecessary conflict.

“First, on April 20, our officers filed an affidavit that the government intends to amend the policy since the order pertaining to terms of compromise with the union leaders had not come on the files. The moment orders regarding this were passed on the official files, a revised affidavit was filed before the High Court on April 27 regarding the state government intention to withdraw the police,” said Dhillon.

Haryana Roadways workers had proceeded on strike on April 10 paralysing the state-owned bus services in the state against the new transport policy that allowed the government to issue new permits for private buses.

The strike was withdrawn after the government agreed to withdraw the policy during talks held on April 13.