Ferrying passengers for more than a year, yet no provisions for employees of State Transport

The employees of Gujarat State Transport staged a demonstration on Thursday across 125 bus depots in the state, demanding to be considered as “Frontline Warriors” by the government.

The Vadodara Vibhaag Sankalan Samiti pinned up posters at various locations in Vadodara to commemorate the 14 workers who lost their lives to the virus in the city. These banners iterated that in times of crisis, like army men, transport workers while risking their own lives, have also come to the aid of many individuals.

The Gujarat State Transport Workers Federation, in affiliation with the Gujarat Rajya S.T Karmachari Mahamandal and Gujarat S.T Mazdoor Mahasangh, claimed that more than 200 workers in Gujarat have succumbed to COVID since the pandemic began. The union further said that the government was yet to provide any provisions to the employees.

With no announcement of a nationwide lockdown, the State Transport buses have been running incessantly during the second wave. While the buses have helped thousands of people to avail transportation services amidst the pandemic, the passengers are neither tested for COVID nor for symptoms before boarding the bus. Premprakash Dave, General Secretary of S.T Mazdoor Sangh, cited unsafe working conditions and said, “The conductors physically hand out tickets and receive cash from hundreds of passengers in a day.” He added that his colleagues, including drivers and conductors, had lost their lives after contracting the virus on the job.

The union reassured the passengers of their willingness to serve them and stated that they do not plan to go on a strike. However, they have cordially appealed to the state government to provide financial relief to the families of the deceased. The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana currently provides a safety net of Rs.50 lakh to “COVID Warriors” to ensure that in case of adversity due to COVID-19, their families are taken care of.