Statesman News Service
MALDA.(India) Dec. 7. — Ignoring the requests of the Malda district administration, private vehicle owners with support from trade unions went on a three-day strike from Wednesday. Owing to the strike, commuters had to face difficulties to go to their respective destinations today. Inadequate government bus services added to the woes of the commuters. All private vehicles were off the roads in the district and the strike was successful. Expressing unhappiness over the strike, the district officials today explained that all organisations including the bus owners were united to call the strike taking advantage of the 48 hours bandh called by the petrol and diesel owners association in the state. The leaders of the trade unions claimed that they would continue the strike tomorrow and day after tomorrow demanding safety and security for the workers of the private vehicles like auto, trekker, maxi-taxi and bus. The trade unions took out a rally in English Bazaar today on this issue and said that the administration has to assure them security. On the other hand, the bus owners association claimed that they did not call the strike and had the administration sent their letter to the trade union leaders on time the strike would have been called off. According to them, the three trade unions backed by the CPI-M, RSP and the Trinamul Congress had jointly taken the decision to call the strike and they informed the administration about it on 4 December. “Today we got the letter from the district magistrate’s office. But in this letter, though it was mentioned that the administration would hold a meeting with us on the issue of fare-hike, nothing was mentioned about our problems of safety and security. So we have decided to go on with our strike,” said Md. Kaisuddin, the secretary of the Malda Motor Employees Union, backed by the Revolutinary Socialist Party. The Intuc district president, Mr Biswanath Guho, had confessed before the Malda ADM that he did not have any information about the strike. It may be noted that stalemate continues between the commuters including the students and the commercial (passenger) vehicles’ owners and both the groups have lodged FIR against each other. The trade unions had become adamant expressing their unhappiness against the police in the fourth week of November. Citing an example, trade union leader, Mr Amal Ghosh, said: “ Five students of a college beat up our staff. We had been able to produce one of them to the English Bazaar police station. But police did nothing when another group of students picked up the “culprit” from the table of the on-duty officer.” The incident took place on 23 November and in the next day the same group of students hijacked two bus staff and beat them up at Mangalbari under the Malda police station. Out of eight such incidents in the district, it was found that teachers including women teachers were assaulted by the bus staff in English Bazaar. On the other hand, another teacher had also assaulted a bus staff in Gazole. The situation has gone beyond the control of the district administration after implementation of revised fare. Sources said that the teachers belonging to the daily passengers association are instigating the students to attack the bus staff. Mr Uttam Roy, the secretary of the Malda Bus Owners Association said that the strike would continue tomorrow. “We have called a meeting with all of them on 9 December,” said Mr Bhabani Prasad Barat, the ADM (general). #
MALDA.(India) Dec. 7. — Ignoring the requests of the Malda district administration, private vehicle owners with support from trade unions went on a three-day strike from Wednesday. Owing to the strike, commuters had to face difficulties to go to their respective destinations today. Inadequate government bus services added to the woes of the commuters. All private vehicles were off the roads in the district and the strike was successful. Expressing unhappiness over the strike, the district officials today explained that all organisations including the bus owners were united to call the strike taking advantage of the 48 hours bandh called by the petrol and diesel owners association in the state. The leaders of the trade unions claimed that they would continue the strike tomorrow and day after tomorrow demanding safety and security for the workers of the private vehicles like auto, trekker, maxi-taxi and bus. The trade unions took out a rally in English Bazaar today on this issue and said that the administration has to assure them security. On the other hand, the bus owners association claimed that they did not call the strike and had the administration sent their letter to the trade union leaders on time the strike would have been called off. According to them, the three trade unions backed by the CPI-M, RSP and the Trinamul Congress had jointly taken the decision to call the strike and they informed the administration about it on 4 December. “Today we got the letter from the district magistrate’s office. But in this letter, though it was mentioned that the administration would hold a meeting with us on the issue of fare-hike, nothing was mentioned about our problems of safety and security. So we have decided to go on with our strike,” said Md. Kaisuddin, the secretary of the Malda Motor Employees Union, backed by the Revolutinary Socialist Party. The Intuc district president, Mr Biswanath Guho, had confessed before the Malda ADM that he did not have any information about the strike. It may be noted that stalemate continues between the commuters including the students and the commercial (passenger) vehicles’ owners and both the groups have lodged FIR against each other. The trade unions had become adamant expressing their unhappiness against the police in the fourth week of November. Citing an example, trade union leader, Mr Amal Ghosh, said: “ Five students of a college beat up our staff. We had been able to produce one of them to the English Bazaar police station. But police did nothing when another group of students picked up the “culprit” from the table of the on-duty officer.” The incident took place on 23 November and in the next day the same group of students hijacked two bus staff and beat them up at Mangalbari under the Malda police station. Out of eight such incidents in the district, it was found that teachers including women teachers were assaulted by the bus staff in English Bazaar. On the other hand, another teacher had also assaulted a bus staff in Gazole. The situation has gone beyond the control of the district administration after implementation of revised fare. Sources said that the teachers belonging to the daily passengers association are instigating the students to attack the bus staff. Mr Uttam Roy, the secretary of the Malda Bus Owners Association said that the strike would continue tomorrow. “We have called a meeting with all of them on 9 December,” said Mr Bhabani Prasad Barat, the ADM (general). #
No comments:
Post a Comment