The State Government should give the status of contractual workers to 2,800 outsourced employees working in the transport corporation.
The general secretary of Uttarakhand Roadways Employee Union (UREU), Ashok Kumar Chaudhary said this while addressing newsmen here on Thursday.
The UREU is organising its biennial convention on March 22 at Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT) Dehradun. Chaudhary said that Chief Minister Harish Rawat would be present on the occasion as chief guest and added there was an atmosphere of great enthusiasm among the employees and the union has made every effort for successful hosting of the convention.
Chaudhary said the drivers employed under outsourcing in the State roadways were paid lowly amount of Rs1.20 per kilometer, which should be increased to Rs2 per kilometer.
The union was also demanded that the management of ISBT should be taken away from Remki Company and the transport corporation should take over its functioning.
The Principal Patron of UREU, Sushil Rathi said that CM Rawat had done a commendable job of providing free bus service to senior citizens and added that Rawat also deserved praise for removing the private agent booking facility at ISBT Delhi and opening a ticket window of corporation, saving Rs20 per ticket in the process.
Rathi said that waiving of Rs180 crore debt of roadways was another appreciable step of State Government. He said the State Government should give financial help of Rs100 crore to the roadways to purchase 590 new buses.
It is worth mentioning here that the Harish Rawat had recently said that the roadways should remove its fleet which is more than three years old on the mountainous routes.
The organizers claimed that State Congress President Kishore Upadhyaya, Forest Minister Dinesh Agarwal, parliamentary secretary Hemesh Kharkwal, Doiwala MlA Hira Singh Bisht and other prominent personalities would participate in the convention of UREU.