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Tuesday, Dec 14, 2004

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Roadways workers to demand new buses

JALANDHAR, DEC 13 . Criticising the State Government's attitude towards its promise to induct 400 new buses in the state roadways fleet, joint action committee of Punjab Roadways Employees' unions today threatened that it would launch an agitation against the State Government, if new buses were not inducted at the earliest.

Holding the State Government responsible for the huge losses being incurred by the state roadways, convenor of the committee, Gurmel Singh said that although it was promised by the state government to induct at least 400 new buses in the fleet and even an amount of Rs 25 crores was earmarked for the purpose in the annual budget, but recently finance secretary withdrew the proposal without having valid grounds for the same.

"Earlier State Government had submitted a letter of guarantee for taking loan for the new buses but recently we came to know that the Finance Secretary, K.R. Lakhanpal has withdrawn the guarantee letter," Singh told reporters here today while condemning the decision.

The committee has decided to burn the effigies of the Finance Secretary tomorrow at every Punjab Roadways depot, he added.

"You see when the current government was formed there was fleet of total 2407 buses but as on date it was only of only 1591 buses and by February next year life of every bus will be expired," he claimed.

"Whenever we go on strike, state government takes action against us under the Essential Services Act but it does not see the plight of such essential service which is in a very bad shape," he added. -- PTI

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Roadways workers to demand new buses