Haryana Roadways workers protest against backdoor privatisation

On Wednesday, a section of Haryana Roadways Workers observed a day strike marking their protest against the state government’s move to allow private buses to operate within and from the state. The one-day token strike was under the banner of All Haryana Roadways Workers Union.

The BJP-ruled state Government, however, in letters to the district administrations, has sought to register cases against the striking workers especially the union leaders for boycotting the work and preventing others from their work.

In today’s protest, the workers have raised their voices against the government’s decision of hiring 720 private buses on kilometer basis.  The unions and workers have been raising the same for a long. The workers have also raised their voices against the government’s decision invoking Essential Services Maintenance Act, 1974, (ESMA).

The government, on August 30, had invoked ESMA for six months barring the workers from the proposed strike. Apart from that, certain provisions were also invoked under ESMA to end the ongoing strike by health workers in the state. The health minister Anil Vij, however, on Tuesday asked the workers to return to their work or face actions including termination of services.

Keeping an eye on the strike, the authorities, at some places, had imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure that prohibits the assembly of more than four people in an area.

“Till the very end, we were open for talks with the state government to reach to a solution so that public is not put to inconvenience due to the strike. However, the government remained defiant and even invoked ESMA, we have no choice but to proceed on strike on Wednesday as per our earlier announcement,” Haryana Roadways Employees Union president Dalbir Kirmara was quoted as saying.

The opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) lambasted the government’s decision to invoke the ESMA. “Why the government bent upon gradually privatising the Haryana Roadways, which was once a profitable venture. We are a welfare state and the government should not always be looking for profits. They should take back the ESMA, sit and talk with the employees and resolve the issue. The public should not be put to inconvenience because of the government’s failure,” said INLD state president Ashok Arora.

In July this year, the state transport department had decided to get additional 720 private buses adding to the total fleet of 4,100 buses, owned by the state, across and outside the state. Since then, the unions have been opposing the state’s decision to introduce 700 private buses, the government was very adamant to its stand, the union leaders have pointed out.

“We urged the government to buy its own buses and assured them of better facilities to the commuters. However, they refused to listen to us and stuck to their stand,” Kirmara added defending the public transportation.

Further, INLD’s Dushyant Chautala, MP from Hisar, pointed out the agenda of the BJP-led state government saying that the government wanted to “give permits to some private companies of Gujarat, which is why it is bent upon privatising the state roadways.”

Transport workers across the state have been protesting for a long defending the public transport system. Recently, on August 7, a large section of transport workers had observed a-day-long national strike which was called by the All India Co-ordination Committee of Road Transport Workers Organisation. The main demand was the withdrawal of the proposed Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill. While the unions have been opposing the proposed amendments in the Bill that ultimately help the corporates and dilute the power of the state governments.