E-Paper
PRTC contractual staff shut bus stand for 2 hours, commuters suffer
As the inter-state bus terminal remained shut from noon till 2 pm, the buses were being operated from outside the bus stand in Ludhiana due to which traffic jams were also witnessed. Meanwhile, the passengers demanded that the PRTC employees should not trouble public and find another way to make their voice heard at state-level
With the contractual staff of PRTC/roadways department shutting down the bus stand for two hours in a protest against the state government over delay in payment of salary, traffic chaos outside the bus stand and delay in services troubled the passengers and commuters on Wednesday.
The employees slammed the state government stating that they have not yet received the salary for the month of June and the government is turning a blind eye towards their situation. The employees’ union further warned the government of a strike, if the salary is not released by July 19.
As the inter-state bus terminal remained shut from noon till 2 pm, the buses were being operated from outside the bus stand due to which traffic jams were also witnessed.
The officials at the bus stand said the protest hampered the movement of around 50–60 buses. A few buses got cancelled, while the others got delayed due to the protest.
District president of the employees’ union Satnam Singh said the agitation was raised at all the bus stands across the state and they would announce a strike, if the salary is not released by July 19. “We have also been demanding regularisation of contractual employees and will continue to raise agitation until their genuine demand are fulfilled,” he said, adding that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had announced regularisation of employees ahead of elections, but the government is not paying heed to the issue now.
Meanwhile, the passengers demanded that the employees should not trouble public and find another way to make their voice heard at state-level.
A passenger, Kuldeep Singh, said he was on his way to Ferozepur and got late by around half-an-hour, waiting for a bus outside the bus stand on Wednesday. The employees should not harass public. he said.
Bus stand station supervisor Kuljit Singh Sodhi said, “The state department has to release the salaries and efforts are being made to resolve the issue at state-level only.”
MORE NEWS IN BRIEF
Doctors lodge complaint after 2 persons barge into Jargon hospital
Ludhiana A senior medical officer,Dr Pardeep Mohindra, and other medical officers at Civil Hospital, Jagraon, lodged a complaint with the Ludhiana rural police accusing two persons, posing as representatives of a political party, of obstructing official duty. Mohindra said the accused claimed to conduct a checking of the sub-divisional hospital premises (SDH), Jagraon. On being asked about who had authorised them to conduct the checking, the persons could not provide any valid authority letter and soon, fled the hospital. The SMO and the medical officers have claimed to have the video and audio evidence of the same.
Jail staff conducts surprise check, 8 mobiles phones recovered
Ludhiana Eight mobile phones were recovered from the inmates of Ludhiana Central jail during a surprise check on Wednesday. In the first case, the police have booked Gurvinder Singh and Baljit Singh from whom two mobile phones were recovered. The other two FIRs have been registered against unidentified accused on the basis of the complaint lodged by assistant superintendent Sarup Chand. He said the team had recovered three phones lying abandoned in the toilet of a barrack and three in the premises of the jail. Three separate cases under Section 52-A of the Prison Act have been registered against the accused.
MC Class-4 staffers’ protest enters Day 8
Ludhiana The chain hunger strike by Class-4 staffers of the Ludhiana municipal corporation (MC) under the banner of Sewermen/Safai Karamchari Sangharsh Committee outside the civic body’s Zone-A office entered its eighth day on Wednesday. The union has been seeking regularisation of 2,800 contractual employees. MLA (Ludhiana West) Gurpreet Gogi met the protesting employees and assured that he will arrange a meeting with the principal secretary of local bodies department on Thursday. Local bodies minister Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar is also expected to participate in the meeting. Chairman of the union, Vijay Danav, said that further decision regarding the agitation will be taken after the meeting scheduled on Thursday.
