Commuters stranded as HR Roadways employees continue strike

Thousands of commuters were left stranded across Haryana today as the state roadways employees continued their strike for the second day to protest issuance of permits to private operators.
The roadways employees under the banner of Haryana Roadways Employees Union (HRWU) staged demonstrations at various depots in the state.
Commuters faced a tough time after the state roadways buses did not ply on their regular routes. About 3,500 buses, which include the luxury Volvo bus service, came to a halt at all bus stands in the state.
The state roadways employees had also observed a strike in Jind district on Sunday to protest the state government's move to give permits to private operators to run buses on 273 routes, HRWU president Sarbat Singh Punia said.

"After this, the government yesterday invited us for talks with Additional Chief Secretary, Transport, S S Dhillon. However, nothing came out of these talks as the government's stance on giving permits to private operators remained unchanged," Punia said.
He said after the talks failed the union announced an indefinite strike last evening.

"On March 29, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had assured us that the government would not give any permits to private operators. However, Dhillon told us the government would give permits to 273 to private operators. The government should make its stance clear on the issue," he said.

Meanwhile, the government invited the striking employees for a fresh round of talks today.
Punia said state Transport Minister Krishan Lal Panwar had invited them for talks.