Govt bus staff go on mass leave, cripple transport across state

DEHRADUN: Nearly 3,000 contractual bus drivers, conductors and technical staff of Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC) went on mass leave on Friday morning in support of their demand of regularisation of their service, partially affecting both intra-state and inter-state bus operations.
However, the striking drivers and conductors affiliated with Uttaranchal Roadways Employees Union called off the strike on Friday after reaching an agreement during a meeting with state transport minister Navprabhat.
General secretary of the union Ashok Chaudhary told TOI, “The government has agreed to our demand regarding regularisation of service of contractual drivers, conductors and technical staff. We have been assured that an approved proposal would be put before the cabinet for regularising service of contractual employees.”
Significantly, UTC employees also protesting against the government’s decision to scrap the process of hiring 300 permanent bus drivers and inviting an outsourcing agency to provide drivers and conductors to UTC.
“The transport minister has agreed to restart the hiring process of 300 drivers and that no outside agency would be called to replace 2,899 UTC employees including drivers, conductors and technical staff,” said Chaudhary.
UTC managing director Brijesh Kumar Sant said, “The union has called of its strike after a fruitful meeting with the transport minister. The decision is in the interest of the passengers as they are the ones who were the real sufferers from the strike.”
Passengers were stranded in different parts of the state, including Dehradun, on Friday morning as many drivers and conductors did not turn up for work.
Nagendra Raturi, one of the passengers at Dehradun, told TOI, “I want to go to Haldwani but I have been told that no bus would be running today due to the strike. I don’t know what to do. I might have to take a taxi which will cost me thousands of rupees.”
“I reached ISBT at 9am for a taking bus to Haridwar but I got to know that maximum drivers and conductors are off duty today. I am still figuring out what to do now,” said another passenger Birendra Rawat.