As roadways strike completes 15 days, Haryana orders salary cut

Chandigarh: The Haryana government on Tuesday said that salary for the period of the strike and unauthorised absence of Haryana Roadways employees from October 16 to date should not be released till further orders.

The direction came as the strike by roadways staff, which has crippled the state-run public transport system in the state, completed 15 days.

Thousands of passengers are being put to inconvenience across Haryana for the past 15 days owing to the strike by the roadways staff.

However, the Haryana Transport Department said that the salary bill will be prepared and submitted accordingly for the strike period of the agitating staff.

"It will be the personal responsibility of concerned general manager and accounts officer to ascertain the compliance of the orders," a state government spokesman said here on Tuesday.

Repeated rounds of talks between the Haryana government and the agitating roadways staff have failed to resolve the issue, particularly on the issue of privatising some services in the transport sector.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that no privatisation is being carried out in the state roadways and the kilometre scheme would not affect any employee of the Haryana Roadways.

Khattar told the media in Kurukshetra, around 110 km from here, on Tuesday that only the roadways fleet is being expanded.

"Under the new scheme, driver would be the bus owner, whereas conductor would be deputed by the state government and revenue generated would also be of the state roadways. Similarly, the route and time table would be decided by the state roadways. The scheme is completely in favour of employees and it would improve the transportation system," Khattar pointed out.