SRTC goes on 3 day strike

SRTC operations today came to a halt following the beginning of three day long strike by its employees.

The employees also held strong protest demonstrations at Press Enclave here in support of their demands. SRTC employees Union led by its chairman Shakeel Ahmad Kuchay held several rounds of talks in Jammu with financial commissioner Finance Iqbal Khanday and other senior government officers. During the meetings Kuchay demanded that the long pending demands of the SRTC employees be met without any further delay. “Government must look into our demands if it wants an end to our protests,” he told the officers.

The striking employees demand revival of SRTC on the lines of Himachal Pradesh Transport Corporation, and the sixth pay commission for them.

SRTC employees started a protest march from SRTC yard at TRC and moved towards Press Colony, where they held demonstrations. They were being led by Mohammad Amin Dar. Carrying placards in their hands, they raised slogans against the state government.

Entire J&K State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) fleet today went off the road as over 3000 employees of the Corporation today went on three day strike in the State.

The operation of all the buses including those plying on inter-state routes and the trucks remained stalled and all the depots across the State including Srinagar, Jammu, Leh and also at Pathankot remained non-functional. With the non-operation of a fleet of total 1016 vehicles, the Corporation will be losing a revenue of nearly ` 19 lakh per day with the ongoing strike. On many routes, additional private buses had to be pressed into service by the Administration to facilitate the passengers and especially Mata Vaishnodevi pilgrims.

The employees of the Corporation in large number assembled in the office of General Manager SRTC near Bikram Chowk, Jammu this morning and staged massive protest demonstration. Later, they sat on day long dharna to mark their protest against the Government. Several employees leaders including Shakeel Ahmed Kuchay, chairman of the J&K State Road Transport Corporation Workers Union, Ashok Mehra, president and general secretary Paramjit Singh addressed the gathering.

While addressing gathering Mr Kuchay alleged that Government has failed to honour its commitment made with the Union. He alleged that Government failed to implement all the 20 points finalized during meeting with the Chief Secretary on December 3, 2009. Corporation employees were not given benefits of the 6th Pay Commission. Pending arrears of the workers were not paid. Even after the VRS of nearly 850 workers, no improvement was made and pending arrears paid. He claimed that with the VRS hardly 2910 employees are left with the Corporation while they engaged nearly 600 drivers on consolidated pay of ` 6000 per month recently.

Even the arrears of the VRS employees have not been paid in full.

Mr Mehra said that no meeting of the Board of Directors of the Corporation was convened in last 14 months while high level committee constituted by the Chief Minister about two years back appeared to be total fraud as no meeting has been held so far. This shows non- seriousness on the part of Government. He said if Government do not want to run SRTC, it should wind up the organization. Every time only false assurances are given and now the employees are fed up. He also demanded conversion of COLA into DA, announcement of pending DPC, regularization of Sports category employees and release of the salary of GHS employees.

General secretary, Paramjeet Singh disclosed that on the invitation of a Government today a meeting of some members of the union led by its chairman Mr Kuchay was held with the Principal Secretary Finance Iqbal Khanday in his office chamber this afternoon. Though Mr Khanday listened to the problems and demands of the SRTC workers but no immediate decision was taken. He said the strike programme would be continued and three day time has been given to the Government to decide about their fate. In next course of action, they may intensify struggle.

In Srinagar, SRTC employees from all the districts assembled at Corporation headquarters at Maulana Azad Road and held massive protest demonstration in support of their demands. Later, they took out a protest rally which culminated peacefully at Press Enclave. The protesters were raising high pitched slogans projecting their demands.

They demanded that Government should implement Transport Act, 1950 fully and SRTC should be allowed to function on the pattern of Himachal Pradesh Transport Corporation. They also demanded 6th Pay Commission benefits in favour of Corporation workers.

Prominent among those leading the protest rally included Mohd Amin Dar, provincial president, Kashmir, Wajahat Hussain secretary and Mohd Ashraf. 

Jammu Srinagar highway open for one way traffic

The 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was thrown open for one-way traffic from winter to summer capital today. However, the 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh National Highway remained closed while hundreds of villages, including those near the Line of Control (LoC) also remained cut off from their respective district and tehsil headquarters.

A traffic police official said here today that all the vehicles, particularly trucks, loaded with essentials, stranded between Banihal, Batote, Udhampur and Jammu, were allowed to move towards the Valley this morning.

He said only State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) buses, carrying passengers were also allowed from Jammu to Srinagar.

No light passenger or private vehicle was allowed as a precautionary measure.

Similarly no vehicle from Srinagar to Jammu was allowed today.

Official sources said most of the stranded vehicles, particularly trucks loaded with fruit and empty oil tankers at Qazigund and other places in south Kashmir were cleared yesterday.

Similarly, SRTC buses were allowed to ply on the highway from here to Jammu yesterday for stranded passengers.

However, hundreds of passengers, including non-state subjects, remained stranded here because of non availability of sufficient SRTC buses.

The Srinagar-Jammu national highway remained open for the one way traffic from Srinagar to Jammu today. However, only heavy vehicles were allowed to ply on the road.

Officials said that the traffic was allowed to move on the road only from Srinagar to Jammu and no vehicle was allowed to move in the opposite direction. “Due to slippery conditions of the road we allowed only one way traffic to ply on the highway. At least 2000 vehicles including 80 SRTC buses were allowed to move towards Jammu. 95 percent of the stranded trucks on this side of the tunnel were cleared today,” said Inspector General of Traffic, Hemant Kumar Lohia.

He said that tomorrow the road will remain open for only the stranded Srinagar bound stranded vehicles and the SRTC buses. “Still there are hundreds of supply trucks at halt on the other side of the road and we will try to clear them all tomorrow. Besides the SRTC buses will be allowed to move from Jammu to Srinagar,” IG said. About the movement of the light passenger vehicles on the road, the IG said, “The road is still slippery at many places and it will not be advisable to allow light vehicles to ply from either side. People can undertake the journey to Srinagar or Jammu in SRTC buses.” He also said that an SRTC bus towards Jammu will also be operated from Anantnag for the convenience of the people of south Kashmir.

SRTC workers threaten agitation

A 24-hour long state wide chakka jam has been called by the State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) employees of the state on December 9, against what they called non-adherence of the 16 point charter suggested by the state government in 2009.

The SRTC Workers Association threatened that a statewide agitation will be repeated, if the state government continues its lack of commitment towards more than three thousand employees of this sector.

Shakeel Ahmad Kuchay, President, SRTC Workers Association told KTNS that only a few demands of the corporation employees including release of pending salaries were fulfilled, but the major demands like the enactment of the Himachal Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation Rules in JK SRTC as provided under purview of RTC Act 1950 are still to be implemented.

He added that Jammu and Kashmir is the only state where transport corporation employees do not enjoy the same status as that of their counterparts in the other states.

“There are around 3700 employees now who are suffering to the core due to non-committal attitude of the state government, especially when the government has failed to implement its own decisions. Vide order no- 1625/gadof 2009 dated 19/ 11/ 2009. The SRTC employees would intensify their agitation this time in order to seek implementation of pending issues/ demands which will include road demonstrations, rallies, hunger strikes, pen-down strikes,” Shakeel said.The workers alleged that even the management of the corporation has no paid any heed to their demands which have compelled them to re-start their agitation.

Regarding the corporation running losses for many years now, the SRTC Workers Association President said that same has been the case with many other states, but that has not resulted in suffering of its workers.“SRTC is fully functional now. A fleet of 950 vehicles including big and small vehicles operate on a daily basis for public service. But the state government says that it is ill prepared to uplift the infrastructure and has not even taken the initial steps towards strengthening this sector,” Shakeel added.

The workers said that in the wake of infuriating transport fare hike, SRTC could have been a viable solution to the public problems faced by the people.“Though we all are extending our full cooperation with the government for enhancing the number of vehicles and making this a self sufficient sector, but the response of the government in this direction is very unfortunate. As compared to last year, the revenue generation this year was double which touched almost Rs 65 crores, but the problems of workers still remain unaddressed for last two years now,” the workers association handout read.