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Trade unions associated with Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) and Punjab Roadways have trashed the recently-notified new transport policy of the Congress government, claiming that new rules reduce public transport share of routes to 50% from 75% previously. The government has maintained that the new policy is meant to end transport mafia in the state. The government has recently notified the policy and invited objections before it implements the same.

The unions termed the new policy worst than that implemented during the SAD-BJP tenure. This previous policy had been considered to majorly favour ‘influential’ private transporters.

At least six unions — the All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Karamchari Dal, SC/BC Employees union and retired workers union — have also formed an action committee. This committee had decided to start a protest against the new Congress policy.

Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal, general secretary, All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), said, the claims of the Congress in reviving both the PRTC and the Punjab Roadways had fallen flat with new transport policy.

“The new policy promotes actually clips the wings of both state-run transport undertakings,” Dhaliwal claimed.

He also claimed that the government had failed to mention strict implementation of norm related to bus route permits and extensions as mentioned in Motor Vehicles Act 1988.

“In December 2016, the Punjab and Haryana high court had put a stay on repeated entry of private Volvo and other private buses into Chandigarh’s jurisdiction and giving permits to private players to run inter-state buses beyond 15km,” he claimed.

“The new policy does not even mention that there is any move to increasing the share of state transport undertakings to 60% from presently 40%,” the union members claimed.

The union has demanded the re-implementation of 1990 transport policy so as to revive state-run transport entities, which are presently facing huge financial crisis.