Representatives of Roadways Karmchari Sanyukt Parishad (RKSP) and Karmchari Adhikari Nigam Mahasangh (KANM) met Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Monday. The RKSP representatives asked CM to bring a stay on the orders of Northern Railways, in which they have issued an ultimatum to vacate the site being used as the Mussoorie-bus stand by July 31 for the purpose of modernisation of the Dehradun railway station.
They also submitted a memorandum to him consisting of their seven demands including the need of roadways buses for the upcoming Kumbh Mela and to give priority to the domiciles of Uttarakhand in the recruitment of new employees.
State president of the KANM, Dinesh Gusain said, “We met the CM to ask him to speak with the railway authorities who have ordered the bus stand site to be vacated by July 31. If this is enforced, our buses will have to operate from Dehradun ISBT which is again nearly five kilometres from the city. This increased distance will automatically have an effect on ticket price as well. There will be a hike of minimum Rs 20 if the buses start operating from ISBT.” He added, “Also as presently the bus stand is situated at distance of nearly 150 metres from the Dehradun railway station but as the distance of the bus stand increases private unauthorised buses will have their say with the tourists and local passengers.
CM Rawat has given us assurance that they will speak with the railway authorities and if the decision is not stayed, we will be permitted to operate from the old bus stand of roadways at Gandhi Road.”
The RKSP has also put forward its six other major demands for the better operation of roadways buses. According to the memo they submitted, they have demanded for the immediate establishment of board of directors in Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC), stressing that the board is needed to take key policy decisions in UTC.
For the upcoming Kumbh Mela, UTC needs 500 buses and the 300 buses for which the tender procedure was completed three months ago should be handed over to the UTC immediately.