Wednesday, 30 November 2022 | PNS | DEHRADUN
State-wide strike affects transport across Uttarakhand
The strike by owners and operators of about 80,000 local transport vehicles including auto rickshaws, city buses and trucks affected several commuters and services on Tuesday across the State. However, the districts which appeared to be affected the most by the strike were Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar. According to the union members, 20 different unions of Garhwal and Kumaon region participated in this protest on Tuesday.
Several union members belonging to various public transports also arrived in Dehradun from nearby districts to stage their protests. Hundreds of auto rickshaw and bus operators gathered at Bannu School in Dehradun from where they marched towards the Vidhan Sabha building. Many also had empty bowls in their hands during the protest. However they started protests and sat on Dharna when the police stopped them at the barricading near the Rispana bridge and did not allow them to proceed further. The president of Uttarakhand Auto Rickshaw Parivahan Mahasangh Vinay Saraswat said that the Transport department’s decision on banning petrol and diesel operated Vikram and auto rickshaws is against the rules. He said that as per the High Court’s order, the department has no right to ban the operation of Vikram and auto rickshaws on the basis of their age if they qualify the fitness tests. He also said that the department has been claiming to ban the operation of all diesels and petrol fuelled Vikram and auto rickshaws due to the order of National Green Tribunal (NGT) but no such order exists.
The president of the Dehradun Mahanagar City Bus Seva Mahasangh, Vijay Vardhan Dandriyal also said that the Transport department has made carrying out fitness test of vehicles mandatory at the automated fitness centre in Doiwala which takes more time and costs more money for a vehicle running in the city. Also, representatives of transport unions which participated in the protest did not operate their vehicles except Vikrams in Dehradun. The president of Vikram Jankalyan Sewa Samiti Rajendra Kumar said that they participated in the protests but resumed the operation of Vikrams later considering many commuters were facing difficulties due to the strike.
