Why Punjab Kilometers Scheme sparked a major transport strike | Chandigarh News

In fact, the bus remains subject to a state-run permit/route, but ownership of the bus and basic operations are with the private operator. The government avoids the initial costs of purchasing new buses, the burden of maintenance, and obligations related to the driver’s salary.

When and why was the kilometer scheme introduced in Punjab?

According to earlier reports, the kilometer scheme was first introduced in Punjab around 1998. The main reason is to reduce the financial and capital burden on the state. The state transportation department often lacks sufficient funds to purchase new buses; Through the kilometer system, buses can be added quickly without requiring a large capital investment from the government.

So far, around 217 buses are already running under the PRTC’s kilometer scheme by signing a six-year contract. Of these buses, the contract for 140 buses is about to expire.

In PUNBUS, the scheme was introduced in 2007-08 during the SAD-BJP government. However, after persistent employee protests, in 2013, the government decided not to purchase any more PUNBUS buses under the kilometer scheme. However, the AAP government is now again ready to hire buses around the kilometer scheme of PUNBUS as well as PRTC over which we have gone on strike from November 28 onwards,” said Yudh Singh, General Secretary, Punjab Roads State and Contract Employees Union of PUNBUS and PRTC.

In Punjab, as of now, there are nearly 2,300 state government buses, and not more than 1,600 employees working regularly, while nearly 7,500 employees are on contract and outsourced en masse, union members revealed. He added that the number of permanent employees has decreased over the years, as new employees are mostly contract employees.

Is the kilometer scheme being implemented in other states as well?

According to Bikram Singh Shergill, MD, PRTC, the kilometer scheme is being implemented in other states as well, and Punjab is not the only state. Instead, in Punjab, no more than 18 per cent of the fleet is under the kilometer scheme, while in many states it is between 24 and 27 per cent as well.

Why are employees protesting against the kilometer scheme?

Employees (contractors or external employees) and their unions have many grievances against the scheme and how it is being implemented. They claim that the kilometer scheme undermines job security: by outsourcing bus operation to private operators, the number of state-run buses (and thus the number of state-employed employees) is reduced. Many long-term contract/outsourced workers feel that their opportunities for organization (permanent employment) have been bypassed.

“The bus operator under the kilometer scheme gets regular payments from the government based on the kilometers he travels through buses on the routes provided by the government.” So the government pays thousands of thousands to the bus operators just to save the salaries of the employees, and after 5 or 6 years, when his contract expires, the private owner keeps the bus. So this is a losing venture,” Yudh Singh said.

Chronology of events of striking employees

Employees have been protesting against the kilometer scheme for months. However, on November 1, nodal employees staged a protest in Ludhiana against the planned operation of 142 AC buses and 19 Volvo buses under the kilometer scheme of Punjab Roadways. And more than 100 PRTC buses as well. Union representatives warned that this would further threaten jobs. The government postponed the tender for leasing these buses at that time to November 17 following the protest. However, on November 17, workers staged another one-day strike.

On November 28, an indefinite statewide strike began after police arrested several union leaders early in the morning. More than 3,000 buses remained off the roads. Main warehouses were closed. Bus stands were closed, and sit-ins and protests took place in various cities (including Ludhiana, Patiala, Sangrur, Jalandhar, Amritsar, and Ferozepur), causing severe disruption to commuters. On the same day at a warehouse in Sangrur, the protest escalated, with one protester setting himself on fire, and while bringing the situation under control, a police officer also sustained minor burns. This led to a crackdown and arrests by the police.

On November 29, the government responded by firing 152 employees, including ten employees involved in the burn injuries of a police officer in Sangrur. From November 30, a meeting is being held between the union members and Punjab Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar in Tarn Taran.