Tuesday, 25 January 2022 | PNS | Dehradun
Stating that the successive governments in Uttarakhand have failed to provide the due respect and facilities to drivers of public transport, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief ministerial candidate, colonel (retd) Ajay Kothiyal said that Chalak Diwas (Driver’s Day) will be celebrated every year if the party comes to power. He said this while addressing drivers and conductors on the fourth day of his virtual Navparivartan Samvad on Monday ahead of the ensuing assembly elections. He said that drivers of public transport like auto rickshaws, Vikrams, cabs and buses are like oxygen for several people in the state who cannot go on with their daily activities without them. He said that the drivers of public transport are the ambassadors of the state as they are among the first to interact with the tourists visiting the state. He said, “Earlier when the facilities were limited, people including the tourists trusted the local drivers and now when people have more options to commute, they still trust them. This is all due to the drivers’ honesty, hard work and commitment and they have immensely contributed to the state.”
The AAP leader said that there are lakhs of drivers and conductors across the state who work day and night but the governments here have not done anything to resolve their issues and secure the future in the past 21 years. He said, “Public vehicle operators have to face a racket of bribery for issuance of license and insurance in the regional transport offices. They face intimidation from officials in the name of imposing challan and are forced to pay them as per their demand but the governments never paid attention to these issues.” He said that if AAP wins the assembly election, the government will resolve all these issues. He said that the party will also include better roads, road safety and safe travel in its main agenda. He stated, “The AAP’s government will bear the entire cost if the driver gets injured in an accident. We also promise to provide medical and insurance facilities to them. We have provided all these facilities including free education to the drivers’ children and free health facilities for the family members in Delhi.” Kothiyal said that if the drivers support AAP, these facilities will be provided here too.
