Latest news with #Roadways
Hans India
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Trade unions' strike: Normal movement of Har Roadways impacted at some places
Hisar/Ambala: The 24-hour nationwide general strike called by the trade unions to protest against new labour codes and privatisation on Wednesday impacted normal movement of Haryana Roadways buses at some places. In places like Hisar, Bhiwani, Kaithal and Kurukshetra, the normal movement of the state transport was impacted. The Roadways employees staged a sit-in protest at the bus terminuses in support of the demands. Shops, commercial establishments and other institutions functioned normally at most places. The rail movement was also normal. Sarbat Singh Punia, the vice-president of All India Road Transport Workers Federation, claimed that Roadways buses remained off the roads on several routes. He said various roadways unions took part in the nationwide strike. Subhash Lamba, the president of All India State Government Employees Federation, claimed that several government employees from various departments also joined the strike. Besides, Anganwadi, Accredited Social Health Activist workers, and rural sanitation workers also joined the strike, Lamba said. According to the employee organisations in Haryana, the aim of this strike is to protest against the anti-employee and anti-labour policies of the central government and to press for the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). In Kurukshetra, while commercial establishments including shops, banks and government offices worked normally, a 'chakka jam', on the call of the Roadways union, had some impact on normal movement of Roadways buses. In Ambala, there was no major impact of the nationwide strike call. Almost all the major markets including wholesale cloth market, Sarafa Bazaar and Grain Market remained open in the district. Most of the industrial units were working as usual. However, Haryana Roadway workers affiliated to Sarv Karmchari Sangh staged a dharna in front of the Roadways office in Ambala City. The Roadways union leaders claimed that bus service in the district was affected. Meanwhile, workers affiliated to Safai Karmchari Sangh, took out a protest march at Ambala Cantt and submitted a memorandum to the Sub Divisional Magistrate related to their demands. Sarbat Punia said that when Haryana had a population of one crore in 1990-91, the Haryana Roadways had a fleet of 3,884 buses. 'Now, the population has increased three-fold and against the requirement of 12,000 buses in the fleet, we have less than 3,000. As a result, common people, women, students, they face problems,' he said.
Hindustan Times
21-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Roadways conductor ‘thrashed' by pvt operators; union halts buses
Hundreds of passengers were left stranded at the Ludhiana interstate bus stand on Saturday after contractual workers of the Punjab Roadways abruptly halted bus services for nearly an hour from 2.30 pm to 3.30 pm. The shutdown was prompted in protest against police 'inaction' over an alleged assault on a Roadways conductor — Surendra Kumar — by private bus staff on the bus stand premises. Passengers stranded at Ludhiana bus stand after contractual workers halted the buses during a protest in Ludhiana on Saturday. (Gurpreet Singh/HT) The workers stalled the movement of all buses to and from the terminal during the protest. The sudden disruption triggered traffic chaos outside the bus stand as several buses got stuck in a haphazard manner at the terminal and on adjoining roads, hampering the regular flow of traffic. Shamsher Singh Dhillon, state general secretary of the Punjab Roadways, Punbus and PRTC Contractual Workers' Union, said, 'On Friday night, some private bus staff heading to Delhi assaulted Punjab Roadways conductor Surendra Kumar who was on duty in a Ferozepur depot bus going to Chandigarh.' 'When the bus halted at Ludhiana bus stand at around 9.30 pm, a migrant family, unfamiliar with the city, asked conductor Surendra Kumar for help in boarding a bus as they had to go to Bareilly. While he was assisting them, staff of a private bus tried to forcefully take the family into their Delhi-bound bus. When Kumar resisted, they misbehaved with him and then brutally assaulted him,' he said. A written complaint was submitted to the police station at the bus stand, but the authorities failed to take timely action, Dhillon said, adding that the bus operations were halted at around 2.30 pm on Saturday. Subhash Chandra, in-charge of the bus stand police post, said, 'We received a formal complaint and have summoned both parties. The matter has now been resolved mutually.' When contacted, Navraj Batish, general manager of Punjab Roadways, stated, 'The shutdown took place without any prior notice, despite the police already investigating the issue. Such sudden disruptions cause heavy losses to the government. Whoever is responsible must bear the consequences.' The protest caught daily commuters off guard, leaving many stranded without any alternatives. Shanvi Verma, a CA aspirant from Jagraon, said, 'I travel to Ludhiana daily for my coaching classes. When I reached the bus stand after finishing my classes, I found out that the buses were not operating. I feel stuck with no transport in sight.' Echoing similar sentiments, Harjinder Gill, a commuter heading to Bathinda, said, 'My uncle is hospitalised and I had taken a half-day leave to visit him. My family is alone there. It is absurd that common people like us are forced to bear such inconveniences without any fault.'
