Himachal roadways buses strike on June 5

Shimla : To press for their demands Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) staff have given a strike call as a result all its buses will grind to a halt on June 5 (Tuesday ).

Union leaders told Sun Post Monday that they have rejected the call for talks from the state government and are determined to go ahead with the strike .

HRTC will be supported by Punjab and Haryana roadways buses as well . They will not ply their buses within Himachal for a couple of hours .

HRTC staff is demanding converting the corporation into a department so that they become eligible for pension and other benefits .

They are also demanding regularisation of temporary employees besides stopping further privatisation of bus routes .

HRTC bus services have already been affected for the past week as protesting drivers and conductors have not been working for more than eight hours in a day .

HRTC is the biggest loss making company in the state with an accumulated loss of over Rs 570 crore .

But HRTC is also seen as a social service provider with its buses plying in some of the most harsh mountain terrain in the country causing high fuel consumption and heavy wear and tear of buses .

Often some of the remotest villages in the hill state are connected by state roadways buses . Private buses often ply in the more profitable routes mostly in and around urban areas .