PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The drivers of Smart City electric buses in the provisional State capital, who have been boycotting their work, claimed that they would gherao the district magistrate on Wednesday to pressure the administration to meet their demand. Speaking on behalf of the Smart City Kalyan Samiti, its secretary Gulshan Kumar said that about 30 electric buses operate in the city with about 60 drivers.
Asked about their demand, he said that they wanted the authorities to take action against a driver who has been misbehaving with other drivers and bossing around in inebriated state and also reinstatement of those drivers, including himself, whose services have been terminated for protesting against the particular driver’s continued misconduct with them. “We raised the matter before the appropriate Smart City authorities, but instead of reining in the delinquent driver, they took action against us while supporting the driver who flouts rules with impunity,” he added.
Annoyed by the authorities’ indifference in the matter, about 60 drivers have been staging a protest since August 28 at Transport Nagar while staying away from their duty of running the Smart City e buses, he said. The sit-in continued on Tuesday.
Kumar further alleged that the police force had been sent at the sit-in site on Tuesday. “Besides, drivers have been brought from outside to run these buses,” he stated, adding that they would lay siege at the DM’s office at around 10 am on Wednesday to pressure the district administration to step in and redress their grievances.
