Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) calls for Citilinc bus service to be declared essential

The management of Citilinc has taken a grave view of the unannounced strike initiated by the conductors on Thursday. Consequently, they have resolved to submit a proposal to the government on Monday, requesting that the bus service be declared an essential service.

Two years ago, the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) launched the Citilinc bus service to enhance the quality of public transportation. The operation of the buses has been outsourced to a contractor, who is paid on a per-kilometre basis, while another contractor has been assigned the responsibility of providing the workforce, including conductors.

The contractor in charge of operating the Citilinc bus service is responsible for paying the wages of the conductors, and the wage bills must be submitted to Citilinc for processing. Citilinc then deposits the salary directly into the conductors' accounts. However, the conductors have alleged that the contractor failed to pay their wages on three separate occasions, which had previously led to a work stoppage. The contractor, who has not paid the employees since February, has shifted the blame to Citiline. As a result, on Thursday, the conductors went on an unannounced strike for 12 hours.

Due to the unannounced strike, passengers of the Citiline bus service faced several difficulties and voiced their complaints, holding Citiline accountable for the issue. To prevent a loss of faith in their service, Citiline has decided to take action by classifying the contracts of conductors and drivers as essential services. While a proposal to this effect was submitted to the state government last year, Citiline's general manager, Milind Bund, has confirmed that a new proposal will be sent on April 17.