Roadways employees, private bus driver spar over timetable

HISAR: Tempers ran high at the Hisar bus stand on Saturday morning as Haryana roadways employees got into a tussle with private operators over bus time tables and announced a twohour long chakka jam.

The drama started when a private bus driver stopped his bus at the Chandigarh booth at around 9am.

A Haryana roadways driver asked him move his bus, saying that it was time for Haryana roadways bus to start from the booth.

The roadways driver even called the union leaders, who allegedly manhandled the private bus driver.

A traffic in-charge had to intervene into the matter to pacify the two sides.

“Earlier, private bus owners assured us that they will not bring their buses near the booths until they get the new time table,” said Ramesh Saini, roadways workers union leader.

“We only asked the traffic in-charge to look into the matter, but the private bus drivers and conductors started abusing us and using filthy language. Hence, we started a protest against them."

When contacted traffic in-charge Sumit Kumar said, “I asked the protesters to calm down as passengers were suffering. I checked the private buses and challaned them as these who were not fulfilling the norms.”

“We have assured Haryana roadways that we will only start our buses after getting the new time table. Today’s altercation was all happened due to a time clash between government and private buses,” said Shripal Singh, president of the Hisar unit of Haryana Kalyan Parivahan Sangh, (private bus service union).