Punjab truck operators proceed indefinite strike demanding restoration of truck unions

Truck operators in Punjab are on an indefinite strike towards the state authorities’s determination of disbanding truck unions in 2017. On Friday, Truck unions blocked the nationwide freeway 1 (NH-1) on the Punjab-Haryana border at Shambhu inflicting inconvenience to the locals. Commuters are compelled to take longer routes to get to their locations because of the operators’ indefinite strike, which continues to have an effect on the motion of visitors from and in direction of Delhi. So far, the commerce unions had conferences with the state authorities thrice, nonetheless, no answer might be discovered. 

On December 23, the representatives of the protestors met a cabinet sub-committee led by Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema. However, it led to a standoff between the protesters and the AAP authorities.

In a optimistic growth, the protesting truck operators cleared one facet of nationwide freeway 1 after they obtained an official letter dated January 1st from Chief Minister’s workplace stating {that a} assembly has been fastened between the protestors and a cabinet subcommittee at Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh on January 4.

IG Patiala and SSP Patiala arrived at the Shambhu border with their workforce. After assembly 11 members of the truck union, one facet of the freeway was opened.

Paramjeet Singh, a consultant of the truck operators from Fazilka informed Hindustan Times, “We have taken one positive step by opening one side of the NH-1 for commuters who are coming from Delhi to Punjab. However, we continue to block one side for commuters heading to Delhi.”

Letter by Punjab CM’s workplace (Image through Dainik Jagran)

In this assembly, it’s being speculated that the AAP authorities should have mentioned the restoration of truck unions that had been disbanded in 2017 after which the Captain Amarinder Singh-led authorities had launched the Punjab Goods Carriages (Regulation and Prevention of Cartelization Rules) barring good carriage operators from forming cartels or unions within the state.

Notably, the Aam Aadmi Party in the course of the state meeting elections had promised to revive truck unions and mentioned in its election manifesto that the “control of politicians in truck unions will be ended.”

However, a number of factions throughout the Aam Aadmi Party have on a number of events clashed with one another in a bid to stop management of the truck unions. On April 4 final yr, 4 individuals had been damage in a combat between two AAP factions over the management of the truck union in Abohar. On the identical day,  Four folks had been damage in Moga an AAP MLA suspended a celebration employee amid claims that he was trying to turn into the native truck union president. Other than this, AAP factions had fought over truck union posts in Bhawanigarh, Jaito, and different areas.