Roadways staff seek safety net to operate

Gurgaon: With the second wave of Covid-19 surging at an alarming rate in the state, Haryana Roadways employees have demanded a safety net from the transport department. From sufficient supply of masks and sanitisers to rotational shifts based on the daily ridership, workers have demanded a revised regime. They have also asked the department to run the Gurgaon depot with 50% staff to avoid overcrowding.
“Last year, we risked our lives to ensure migrants return home safely. Many of us got infected and we also lost few colleagues. I urge the department and the government to consider us frontline workers and safeguard us because we are exposed to this deadly virus on a daily basis,” said Sudhir Ahlawat, district head of Haryana Roadways Sanyukt Karamchari Sangh.
Workers have said that except for the few inter-state routes where migrants are rushing back, the overall ridership has gone down. Thus, they have sought the revision of the existing rosters that mandate calling 100% staff on a daily basis.
The Roadways, on its part, claimed that it has already stocked enough supplies of masks and sanitisers, and buses are regularly cleaned at the depot. “We’ll consider their other demands too,” Haryana Roadways Gurgaon depot general manager Kulbir Singh Dhaka said.