HRY ROADWAYS STIR EXTENDED TILL OCT 29
Services relating to power, education, civic bodies and health are set to be hit with umbrella body of employees’ unions going on mass casual leave
CHANDIGARH: The Manohar Lal Khattar government’s woes are set to pile up on Friday when the Haryana Sarvkarmchari Sangh, the umbrella body of over 40 unions of employees from all government and semi-government departments, giving a call for mass casual leave in support of the striking Haryana Roadways employees.
Meanwhile, the roadways employees extended their strike till October 29 in the wake of failure of second round of talks with the transport minister on Wednesday, as the government rejected their demand to withdraw its decision of hiring 700 private buses.
Haryana chief secretary DS Dhesi presided over a meeting of the ‘crisis management group’ in view of the emerging difficult situation, with other sections of employees joining the stir.
Various services related to health, power, municipal bodies and education are set to be hit when the employees’ unions of these departments go on a mass casual leave on Thursday, when the roadways strike will enter the 11th day.
The roadways employees are protesting against the government’s decision to induct private buses, alleging it is a step towards privatisation of the department. They also accuse the government of favouring a chosen few transport operators.
The government, however, has refuted the charges, saying the move to rope in private buses is in favour of employees, people and the government.
Haryana Sarvkarmchari Sangh general secretary Subhash Lamba said they support the roadways employees’ demand and are against the government’s arbitrary stand on induction of private buses.
Lamba claimed that around 30,000 employees of power utilities, another 30,000 of the local bodies department, 60,000 of the education department, 25,000 employees of the health department, including Asha workers, and 9,000 of Haryana Shahri Vikas Pradhikaran are associated with the Sangh, which has a total of over two lakh employees with it.
PVT BUSES WON’T HARM EMPLOYEES: KHATTAR
Meanwhile, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar reiterated that the government’s move to rope in private buses would not adversely affect the interests of roadways employees.
Responding to mediapersons’ queries in Panchkula, Khattar also denied that any route permits have been given to private buses.
He said buses will be hired from private bus owners on kilometre basis, while conductors of the Haryana Roadways will accompany these. He said the roadways would have full control over these buses.
According to official informa- tion, a total 3,385 buses ran across Haryana on Thursday. Over 2,200 of these were of roadways as against the 2,900 roadways buses that plied on Wednesday. Around 4,100 buses run across the state on normal days.
The roadways employees are on strike since October 16 even as the Essential Services Maintenance Act (Esma) is in force.
The government has terminated services of about 200 employees who had been hired through outsourced agencies as well as 47 who were on probation. Two rounds of talks between the government and the roadways union’ leaders have failed to break the stalemate over the issue.