Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 6 : The HRTC Drivers and Employees Union on Tuesday threatened to launch a statewide “chakka jam” from October 8 if the management failed to act against officials accused of corruption and address the union’s pending demands.
Union president Mansingh Thakur, speaking to ANI after staging a protest in Shimla, alleged that an HRTC Station Officer (SO) posted in Chamba had extorted money from conductors and was involved in financial irregularities. He demanded immediate termination of the official and warned that buses would be taken off the roads if action was not initiated within the deadline set by the union.
“We have given the management a written complaint along with documents regarding serious allegations of extortion and financial irregularities against the SO in Chamba. Despite an inquiry and a report being submitted, no action has been taken against him so far,” Thakur said.
He alleged that the officer took Rs 4,000 from a conductor at Pathankot, giving him a written note on a blank sheet of paper, and also demanded money from conductors in connection with a Rs 3,525 fraudulent bill. He further alleged that the officer forcibly took Rs 75,000 from employees and had not returned the amount.
Thakur said the union had raised the matter before the HRTC management and that the Managing Director had assured them that action would be taken before September 25. He claimed that a committee had subsequently been constituted and its report had also reached the management.
“The DDM Chamba has also given in writing that the allegations we raised are true. But, unfortunately, no action has been taken against this person till today,” he alleged.
The union leader further alleged that the official was now intimidating drivers and conductors by claiming to have strong political connections.
Thakur also linked the controversy to an alleged Rs 37 lakh scam, claiming that the same official had earlier faced a vigilance inquiry but was protected by senior officials.
“Whenever we ask about the file, we are told that it is here or there. When I spoke to CGM Pankaj Singhal, I was told that there was ‘pressure from above’. I want to know whose pressure it is and why this officer is being protected,” he said.
Calling for equal application of rules to officers and employees, Thakur alleged that drivers and conductors were suspended or terminated even for relatively minor allegations while senior officials accused of serious wrongdoing were allegedly protected.
“Law should be the same for everyone. If a driver or conductor is suspended or terminated for Rs 100 or Rs 150, why is action not being taken against an officer facing such serious allegations?” he asked.
Thakur also referred to the death of conductor Nand Lal, alleging that he had jumped into the Ravi River, and questioned the termination of another employee, Surender, in connection with the matter.
The union president said the organisation had given the management a deadline of Wednesday evening to take action.
“If no action is taken by tomorrow evening, we will first shut down the Chamba region on October 8. We will close the gates and will not operate buses. If the government still does not act, we will shut down HRTC services across Himachal Pradesh from October 9,” Thakur warned.
He appealed to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri to intervene and ensure action against the accused official.
Apart from the alleged corruption issue, Thakur raised several service-related demands, including payment of pending overtime. He said the management had promised payment for 12 months but had released overtime for only seven months.
He also opposed a proposed 48-hour weekly roster for drivers and conductors, saying employees should work eight hours a day but should not be subjected to a system that could result in longer working hours on subsequent days.
“We will do our daily eight-hour duty, but we will not accept a system where fewer hours worked on one day are compensated by 12 or 13 hours of duty the next day,” he said.
Thakur also cautioned CGM Pankaj Singhal against what he described as arbitrary decisions affecting drivers and conductors.
The union leader said the proposed agitation would continue until the management addressed their demands and took action against officials accused of corruption.