Hry Roadways employees go on strike against new hit-and-run law

Haryana Roadways employees in India went on strike to protest a new law imposing a ₹7 lakh penalty and 10-year jail term for hit-and-run cases.

The Haryana Roadways employees went on a day-long strike on Wednesday that led to disruption of services in the district to protest the new provision of ₹7-lakh penalty and 10-year jail term related to hit-and-run cases in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The protesters demanded that the Centre should withdraw the provision as it could lead to their undue harassment, officials aware of the matter said.

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The drivers of the district gathered at the bus stand to register their protest and a memorandum will be submitted to deputy commissioner on Thursday.

The call for the strike was announced by the Haryana Roadways Employees Sanjha Morcha on Tuesday. The protesters also demanded regular filling of vacant posts in workshops, promotion of employees recruited under Group-D category, increase pay grade of drivers, operators and clerks, and restoration of the Old Pension Scheme.

On the other hand, taking advantage of the situation, the private bus operators increased their services on Wednesday.

Officials said that there are 271 drivers and 241 conductors of which 50% took part in the strike.

Approximately 10,000 passengers travel daily from the Gurugram depot, said officials.

The striking employees announced that they will not resume work unless their demands are fulfilled. They also warned the officials that if the government does not accept their demands, they will block bus services across the state for an indefinite period.

On Wednesday, the protesters also tried to stop other buses plying with the help of additional staff, but police and senior officials of the department warned stopped them from doing so and warned them of police action.

Due to the strike, passengers travelling to Jhajjar, Rohtak, Bahadurgarh and other nearby areas faced inconvenience and opted for private transport facilities.

Bhumi Devi (53), a resident of Jhajjar, said that she had to take an auto-rickshaw to Pataudi from the local bus stand and then took a private van to reach home. “The private buses were charging extra due to the strike. It becomes difficult for those who are dependent on government transport. During winters, private buses often cancel services due to fog,” she said.

Ram Niwas, a resident of Rohtak, said that he cancelled his plan of returning home on Wednesday due to the strike. “I took the decision to stay back at a friend’s place and return the next day. There was a lot of confusion and no one from the department could give a clarity on the bus route,” he said.

However, the department said that it kept some drivers on standby and added that the routes were not much affected.

Pradeep Kumar, GM Haryana Roadways, Gurugram, said that the situation was managed with the help of additional staff. “The routes were not impacted much since only a few people were on strike. The meetings are going on and we will be able to resolve the issue at the earliest,” he said.

Vinod Sharma, state president, All Haryana Roadways Workers Union, said that the members are waiting for a response from the government and if they do not receive any within two days, then all employees will start an indefinite protest across the state. “A meeting with the union officials has been scheduled this week to decide on the next course of action. On December 24 last year, the officer on special duty to the chief minister had assured a meeting with the CM, which has not been arranged yet. They are not taking our demands seriously,” he said.

Sandeep Dalal, union president of Gurugram, said that they are planning a chakka jam next week due to the casual approach of officials towards them. He said, “We are demanding a rollback of the Centre’s newly introduced road accident law. According to the law, a provision of 10-year sentence is a lot for drivers and no one intentionally hits anyone or meets with an accident. On many occasions, the fault is of other driver, but the blame is always pinned on the bus driver. Even when accidents take place due to dense fog, the accountability lies with the bus driver. Who is thinking about our families?”