June 15 bus strike: Govt in a fix over action against staff

The Haryana transport department authorities seem to be a fix over the issue of strict action against Haryana roadways drivers who had refused to ferry their buses inside Delhi on June 15, 2013 and instead dropped them on the borders of the national capital, to protest against what they held unfair challaning by Delhi police.

The protest had not only caused a loss of over Rs 10 lakh to the state exchequer – as a large number of passengers on learning about the drivers’ stir - opted not to take Haryana roadways buses – but had also made hundreds of Delhi-bound passengers, who were not in the know of the protest, undergo harrowing times.

The drivers had resorted to one-day protest on June 15 alleging that the Delhi police deliberately indulged in unfair practice of issuing challans to drivers of the Haryana roadways buses. The roadways employees union leaders including Sarbat Punia and Dharambir Hooda said that Delhi policemen, many of whom hailed from haryana, sought free travel in state roadways buses and when the Haryana roadways conductors insisted for ticket, they misbehaved with the roadways employees and often manhandled them. In retaliation, such Delhi cops also deliberately issued challans to drivers of roadways buses, they said.

Even though the issue was resolved subsequent to the intervention of the senior officials of Haryana transport department and Delhi police then, the Haryana roadways union had again threatened for three-day similar protest from July 19 against Delhi police on the same issue. However, the union called off their proposed strike after department assured them a solution, though the department contemplated upon action against the employees who had participated in June 15 protest.

When contacted director general, Haryana transport department, Arun Kumar, said that the department had yet not taken a final view of the matter pertaining of action against such employees.

The union leaders including Punia and Hooda, however, threatened to launch a stir if the department took any action against employees for June 15 protest.