Punjab Transport Minister S. Laljit Singh Bhullar, on Thursday, informed representatives of contractual and outsourced driver/conductor unions that the initial draft regarding service regularization will be shared with them within 15 days. Presiding over a joint meeting of various unions at Punjab Bhawan here, S. Laljit Singh Bhullar said that the department is working expeditiously to prepare rules for regularizing contract employees and hiring outsourced employees on contract basis.
The Cabinet Minister instructed officials to adopt a time-bound approach for regularizing employee services and complete this task at the earliest. The Transport Minister directed officials to promptly provide necessary spare parts to Roadways workshops to prevent financial losses caused by non-operational buses. He also instructed officials to streamline the auction process and expedite the auction of condemned buses.
Besides this, he asked department officials to accelerate the procurement process for recovery trucks. S. Laljit Singh Bhullar, while mentioning that illegal bus services are still operating on several routes in the state particularly on the Jalandhar and Amritsar routes, instructed officials to strictly enforce regulations regarding illegal bus operations within 500 meters radius of bus stands, initiate checking campaigns and take strict action against bus operators illegally picking up or dropping passengers, including impounding such buses.
S. Bhullar also directed State Transport Commissioner Mr. Jaspreet Singh to implement the vehicle tracking system (VTS) in private buses, which is already operational in government buses, keeping safety in mind. Regarding complaints about lack of promotions in the Transport Department, the Cabinet Minister instructed officials to expedite promotion processes at all levels to ensure employees receive their rightful dues. The Transport Minister also asserted prioritizing compassionate appointments for eligible dependents.
Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included Additional Chief Secretary Transport Mr. D.K. Tiwari, PRTC Vice Chairman S. Balwinder Singh Jharwan, STC Mr. Jaspreet Singh, PUNBUS MD Mr. Rajiv Kumar Gupta, PRTC MD Mr. Bikramjit Singh Shergill, Deputy Director S. Parneet Singh Minhas, PUNBUS ADO Mr. Rajiv Dutta, PRTC GM Mr. Maninder Singh and other officials.