Bathinda, January 10, 2017: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today held a strong protest against killer buses of Orbit and Dabwali transport companies owned by Badal family and declared that AAP government would cancel route permits of buses run by Sukhbir Badal and strengthen public transport in the state.
The AAP volunteers led by Rupinder Kaur Ruby AAP candidate from Bathiuda rural and Deepak Bansal party candidate from Bathinda urban launched offensive against illegal bus routes operated by Orbit and Dabwali transport companies owned by Badal family and demanded to shut down the illegal operation of buses by Badal family.
Ruby while addressing the AAP volunteers recalled the infamous case of molestation of a 13 year old dalit girl at Moga by the staff of Orit Aviation Company in October 2013. She said that the conductor of the molested the dalit girl and pushed her out of the running bus when her mother objected. She said that the girl had died on the spot and the Police hushed up the case under political pressure. She said that later family was pressurized to withdraw the complaint and a compensation of Rs.24 lakh to the dalit girl was paid from the government exchequer and the Badal's company was allowed to go scot free.
Ruby said that Moga incident was not the isolated case. The Orbit bus had crushed Swarn Singh a resident of village Behrampur Zimidara in Ropar district in July 2015 and driver of the bus didn’t stop the vehicle even after passengers raised the alarm. She said that in that case too police refused to register case against the Badal;s bus and occupants of a car which met with another accident were booked in false case. The family of Swarn Singh was paid compensation secretly to avoid public outcry.
Deepak Bansal said that buses run by Orbit Company were involved in many road accidents and police had never acted against the VVIP drivers. The Badal family buses are managed by goons hired for scaring staff of other transport companies.
He said that an orbit bus had hit a Hockey coach Hardev Singh of Patiala in January 2013 and he was injured seriously. He is still fighting the case and has not been offered any compensation by the government. On February 16, 2014, a female motorist died after being hit by an Orbit bus on Sangrur-Barnala highway. The bus was later alighted by the mob. He statd that on March 16, 2014, a policeman died in an accident at Ludhiana's Gill Chowk flyover. Two people died after being crushed by the company's bus in Barnala on March 30, 2014. A motorcyclist was crushed by the company's bus at Mahavir Chowk, Sangrur, on April 11, 2015.
He further said that Badal family had promoted their transport business at the cost of public transport and they own about 500 buses. Sukhbir Badal had arm twisted the small companies and forced them to sell their route permits to their(Badals) companies. He said that Indo-Canadian Transport Company was run by a NRI and his buses were impounded by Haryana government during the regime of Om Parkash Chautala, a family friend of Badals. Later Badals purchased the company at throwaway price. Similarly owner of a new bus company which is running its buses from Amritsar to Delhi airport was being threatened of dire consequences.
Bansal said that AAP government would improve the public transport system and make it affordable for common people to travel in them. He said that Badals had caused a loss of Rs.300 crores to Roadways PRTC by sending free buses for pilgrimage. He said that not even a single bus of Badal family was sent for free pilgrimage.