Haryana Roadways buses back on roads after strike ends, commuters relieved

262 Haryana roadways buses and more than 4,000 buses across the state went off roads due to the strike by employees demanding rollback of permits issued to private operators

Day after the strike by Haryana Roadways employees ended, normalcy returned to Gurgaon’s bus stations and provided much needed relief to stranded regular commuters.

Commuters were inconvenienced by the strike on Tuesday. (Parveen Kumar/HT FILE)

Farooq Nazar, a resident of Sushant Lok Phase 1 who travels to Panipat twice a week as he has a carpet business there, was one of the many relieved city commuters on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Farooq could not travel to Panipat and had to reschedule his meetings with his business clients for Wednesday.

“I rely on Haryana Roadway buses solely for travelling to Panipat. Since catching a bus from New Delhi is pointless, as it causes an unnecessary delay of nearly two hours, the same time that it takes me to reach Panipat from Gurgaon. Luckily, the protestors called off their strike or else my business deals could have been in jeopardy,” Farooq said.

For Ravi, a class four employee with the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) who stays in Manesar and takes a bus to Sector 34 from the Gurgaon railway station, resumption of services meant that the five-fold increase in his commuting cost was limited to jus a day.

“Yesterday (Monday), I spent more than ₹100 commuting to work instead of ₹20 that I pay for an auto ride. Auto drivers took the strike as an opportunity to fleece passengers. My monthly income barely helps me get by and I don’t get to save much. Hence, any additional expenditure burns a hole in my pocket. I am the buses are back on roads,” Ravi said.

Read I Haryana Roadways strike: Gurgaon passengers take to other states’ roadway buses

262 roadways buses operating in the city and more than 4,000 buses across the state were pulled out of roads owing to the indefinite strike by employees over the issuance of permits to private operators by the state government. The strike was called off after the state government assured protestors that it will withdraw its decision on issuing permit to private bus operators.