Himachal roadways staff to go on strike

Shimla: Employees of Himachal state roadways have threatened to go on a two-day strike starting from Monday night. About 8,000 Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) employees will go on a two-day strike over demands such as regularisation of contract staff and protection of pension benefits.

HRTC has over 2,500 buses that ply within and outside the state. The transport employees have also threatened to stop the operations of chartered and other states' roadways buses till Wednesday night. Transport Minister G.S.Bali has appealed to call off the strike as he assured the employees that their genuine demands would be accepted.

Hoteliers in the hilly state expressed concern as they expected a heavy rush of tourists this week too owing to the searing heat in the plains. On an average, about 10,000 to 15,000 tourists from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi visit Shimla and nearby destinations during this season.