Only 6 employees man Jubilee Bus Station

Secunderabad: The JBS Depot Manager, Praneeth has not gone home for the last 48 hours and spent the night at Jubilee Bus Station (JBS). Thanks to the ongoing strike by Telangana State Toad Transport Corporation (TSRTC) employees, the once bustling bus station is now a pale shadow of its former self.

"The strike has taken an extensive toll on all the employees, so far no arrangements have been made to tackle the situation. All the employees are helping one another to reduce the workload and are forced to work on holidays as well," said Praneeth.

The depot which usually had around 300 staff from security, maintenance, mechanics, helpers to cleaners, has now drastically dropped down to only six. Now, the additional work of selecting private drivers temporarily for state buses has also added up to the list.

The depot manager is seen taking a test ride with the bus driver around the depot before handing him the bus as it is a matter of public safety. These six employees include four security staff, one CRM Manager and Depot Manager. The work which 300 men did has been distributed within these six employees which has taken a toll on them.

"Each of them is working 12-hour shifts or more than that to ensure smooth functioning of the depot." The daily works at depot undertaken by the current strength of staff include routine checks of the buses before departure, maintaining in and out times of the buses, repair work in case of any breakdown, collection of fare from the conductors and depositing the amount in the bank.

"Last night the buses came in late due to which I had to sleep in my office at the depot itself. We have outsourced two mechanics that look after any repair works by paying them 1,000 Rs per-day but they are now asking raise in their pay citing heavy workload as the reason," added Praneeth.