The city bus union has accused the Dehradun district police of harassment. Citing the example of the July 11, union’s Mahanagar president Vijay Vardhan Dandriyal said that six city buses were acquired by district police to take the protesting ousted employees of 108 emergency ambulance service to Suddhowala jail and were freed at 5:30 pm in the evening. For keeping those buses the entire day, the police neither reimbursed bus owner for the fuel nor did they make any payment. He also said that in another such instance last year one of the city bus carrying protesters to district jail was damaged, to repair which the bus owner had to spend nearly Rs 20,000 out of his own pocket. The bus owners are getting nothing in return but have to pay extra for the losses they bear as well. Denying the claim of any damage, senior district police officers says that police personnel go with the protesters in acquired buses and no such incident of the vehicle being damaged ever happened.
Dandriyal said, “We do not mind them taking our buses, but the bus owners and the employees don’t earn anything on such days. On top of that they do are not reimbursed even for the fuel. One of our buses was damaged by the protesters and the owner had to give Rs 20, 000 out of his own pocket. This is the way police department is harassing us.” Recently, director of traffic directorate, Keval Khurana in a meeting said that in situation like road accidents and emergency scenarios city buses will operate as emergency vehicles. In such cases police department will be paying for the city bus, but in cases like ferrying detained protesters no entitlement has been fixed.
He further added, “When we spoke with a senior district police officer she said it is the Regional Transport Office which will first issue a bill and then it will get reimbursed, but the regional transport officer Dinesh Pathoi denied any such claim. He said that RTO has not been informed about any such arrangement. What we are demanding is our right.”
When asked about this allegation the police circle officer, Dalanwala, Jaya Baloni said, “We acquire these buses through the administration. No incidents of city buses being damaged have been reported. If such is the claim the owner can complaint and it will be investigated. Our force stays with the protesters inside the city bus.”