The protest by contractual Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) employees, which entered its fourth day on Tuesday, continued to disrupt the public transport services in the city.
The strike, which started on November 16, comes at a time when people are being encouraged to use public transport to reduce vehicular emissions as a pollution-control measure.
The protesters seek regularisation of services, pay parity for women employees, and better working conditions.
The DTC had on Monday said that it had formed a committee of officers to look into the employees’ demands.
Commenting on it, Environment Minister Gopal Rai urged the employees to return to work, saying the “medical emergency” caused by rising air pollution necessitated that they work together with the government to reduce people’s reliance on personal vehicles.
Reacting to his remarks, a woman employee said that while commuters have been inconvenienced due to the protest, they should understand that contractual DTC employees have also been suffering for years due to low salaries and the denial of several benefits given to permanent employees.
‘Metro journeys soar’
Meanwhile, the Delhi Metro recorded its highest-ever daily ridership on November 18, with a staggering 78.67 lakh passenger journeys, according to official data.
The Delhi Metro said the figures beat the previous high of 77.49 lakh passenger journeys on August 20 this year. Several commuters said that they were left with no option but to use the metro service as a large number of buses were off the road due to the stir.
Savitri Devi, a commuter, said she takes a DTC bus from her home to workplace daily due to free rides being offered to women passengers. “I had to pay twice for the metro rides today. I hope this strike ends soon or it will become very difficult for me,” she said.
Other commuters said autorickshaw drivers have doubled their rates, taking benefit of passengers’ vulnerability due to the strike.
“My vehicle is nine years old and I cannot drive it due to the imposition of Stage-IV curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan to combat air pollution. I don’t mind switching to the public transport but the metro is overcrowded while autorickshaw and cab drivers are charging exorbitant rates,” said Vendanth Soni, who works at a firm in Okhla.
Published – November 20, 2024 01:10 am IST