Commuters hit as state-run buses off Himachal Pradesh roads

Shimla: Commuters faced problems on Tuesday morning after employees of the state-run Himachal Road Transport Corp (HRTC), which has a fleet of over 2,500 buses, went on a two-day strike late on Monday night.

The employees were demanding regularisation of the contract staff and pension benefits, among other things.

The strike hit the commuters, especially the tourists, hard with connectivity between cities and towns affected.

The employees said no corporation buses were plying in the state. However, some of the buses of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttarakhand state roadways are functional but they were overcrowded.

Officials of the HRTC said the striking employees would resume work from Wednesday midnight.

The HRTC has been making losses but has been important to the state as it connects far-flung villages with urban areas.

The state high court on Monday asked the roadways employees to call off their proposed strike. The court asked the state to look into their demands.

"It's beaten law of the land that the employees cannot go on strike in order to press their demands. The court has already declared the strike of doctors illegal. Accordingly, we deem it proper to issue notice," said the bench.

It asked the transport principal secretary and the HRTC managing director to have a joint meeting with the employees and try to redress their legitimate grievances by June 20, the next date of hearing.

Transport Minister GS Bali in a statement said that 90 percent demands of the employees have been accepted.