Himachal bus strike hits commuters hard

Shimla, June 5 (IANS) Employees of the state-run Himachal Road Transport Corp (HRTC), which has fleet of over 1,900 buses, Tuesday went on a day's strike, hitting commuters hard.

They were demanding regularisation of the contract staff and protection of pension benefits, among other things. The employees, who have been protesting for about a week, have threatened fresh and indefinite agitation from Thursday if the management failed to consider their demands.

The strike hit the commuters very hard with connectivity between cities and towns affected.

The employees said the strike was complete as no corporation bus ran within and outside the state. On some routes, the buses of Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand state roadways also joined the strike, they claimed.

Officials of the HRTC said the striking employees would resume work Wednesday morning.

The HRTC has been making losses but has been important to the state as it connects far-flung villages with urban areas. Besides 1,900 buses of the state corporation, around 2,800 private buses also ply in Himachal Pradesh.