The employees of the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation have threatened to go on an indefinite strike from Wednesday night against alleged failure of the government in cracking down on illegal buses and passenger vehicles. Over 7,000 employees of the UTC are likely to join the strike which will hit the operation of around 1,400 buses.
Ashok Chaudhary, general secretary of Uttaranchal Roadways Karamchari Union, said, “All three unions of roadways employees have joined hands to go on a strike from Wednesday night. Illegal buses, trackers and jeeps are plying on state routes without valid permits and the department has turned a blind eye towards it.”
Claiming that there are 200-250 private buses plying illegally on routes where only UTC buses are permitted to run, Chaudhary said, “Besides private buses, about 2,500 unauthorised trackers and jeeps are also eating into the revenue of the UTC.”
According to union office bearers, the unauthorized passenger vehicles cause 20-25% daily revenue losses to UTC. Notably, the UTC earns Rs 1.5 crore in daily revenue.