Monday, 05 AUGUST 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Uttarakhand Transport Ministerial Employees Union has announced a work boycott from Tuesday, alleging the wrongful suspension of four transport officials by the Transport department. The officials were suspended for alleged negligence in their duties at the Tapovan checkpost in Rishikesh on June 15, the day of the Rudraprayag accident that claimed the lives of 16 tourists. The suspended officials include Tapovan checkpost in-charge Yashveer Singh Bisht, junior assistant Vivek Uniyal, transport sub inspector Mehtab Ali and transport constable Amar Saini.
According to the union members, the senior officials of the department are claiming that they took the decision based on the lead agency’s report. However, the report also stated the negligence of police and the Public Works Department (PWD), but no action has been taken against them so far, they pointed out. The union’s general secretary Vinod Chamoli said that as per the lead agency’s report, the police personnel were also deployed at the checkpost and on the said route for checking. The department had also asked the officiating director general of police, Abhinav Kumar, to take disciplinary action against those deployed on duty that day. He questioned why no action has been taken against them yet. Chamoli stated, “The report also revealed that there was no connected crash barrier installed at the place where the accident occurred. The parapets that were installed there were not as per the standards. It clearly stated that several lives could have been saved if the installation of crash barriers and parapets had been as per safety standards. Why has no action been taken against PWD? The bus started its journey from Delhi and must have passed dozens of enforcement teams of various departments concerned before it reached Rudraprayag when the accident occurred; why are none of those being held accountable? Why were only Transport department employees suspended? This is clearly an injustice against us and we will speak against it.” Chamoli said that the union will stage a protest for two hours on Monday across the State. If the officials concerned failed to address their issue they will call for a complete work boycott in every district of the State from Tuesday, he added
