Shimla: Thousands of commuters across Himachal Pradesh heaved a sigh of relief on Tuesday as the proposed HRTC strike and chakka jam were called off following a breakthrough in talks between the HRTC management and employee unions.
The truce was reached during a meeting between HRTC Employees Union leaders led by Man Singh Thakur, Managing Director HRTC and Principal Secretary (Transport) R.D. Nazeem. After extensive discussions, both sides agreed on a roadmap to address the long-pending demands of drivers, conductors and other employees.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Man Singh Thakur said the management had accepted all major demands raised by the employees and sought a week's time to implement the decisions.
In view of the assurances given by the HRTC management, the union decided to withdraw its strike call and chakka jam programme.
Principal Secretary Transport R.D. Nazeem announced that pending dues worth around Rs 43 crore would be released to employees, leaders said.
These include overtime payments, uniform allowances, medical reimbursement claims and several promotion-related issues that had been pending for a long time.
The management also assured employees that despite the state's difficult financial situation, efforts would be made to ensure timely release of benefits, including loan-related facilities and other pending entitlements.
The last-minute settlement averted a major transport crisis in the state. Had the strike gone ahead, lakhs of passengers, including office-goers, students and tourists, would have faced severe inconvenience.
With the union withdrawing its agitation, normal bus services are expected to continue uninterrupted across Himachal Pradesh.
The development comes as a significant relief for both the travelling public and the state government, which was keen to avoid disruption of the public transport network during a period of financial stress and growing commuter dependence on HRTC services.
Deputy Chief Minister and Transport Minister Mukesh Agnihotri also announced that strike as been called off.
