RTC employees drumming up support for State-wide bandh

Hyderabad: The indefinite strike by unions of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) continued for the sixth day on Thursday with the agitating employees staging protests across the state.

While the TSRTC JAC is still in the process of seeking support of various employees organisations like Telangana Gazetted Officers (TGO), Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers (TNGOs) and others to give a state-wide bandh call and intensify agitations on the lines of Sakala Janula Samme, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Thursday called a meeting with TGOs and Employees JAC and said that the government would soon address their long-pending issues, including new PRC.

KCR said that he would hold series of meetings with unions from October 21. He also appreciated their role in the 30-day action plan launched to strengthen gram panchayats.

TGOs Association president V Mamata, employees JAC president K Ravinder Reddy, TNGO general secretary M Rajendar and other employee union leaders were briefed on the hardships faced by the government to meet the growing financial needs to implement enhanced pensions for poor, Rythu Bandh scheme and other programmes.

The employees' unions also raised the issue of increase of retirement age of government employees from the present 58 to 61 as promised by KCR during 2018 elections.

Meanwhile, RTC employees and their families held protests in various parts of the state.

While tension prevailed in Warangal where women employees alleged that ACP Narsimha had behaved in a rude manner with them, protests were held in front of bus depots in Kothagudem, Nalgonda, Adilabad, Jagtial and Peddapally.

Not many buses could be moved out of these depots due to shortage of staff. According to RTC senior public relations manager, the RTC on Thursday operated 5,580 buses of which 3,540 belonged to RTC and 2,040 were hired buses.

In addition, 6000 private vehicles were also operated. However, commuters complained that the services were very poor, and the conductors were charging more than the prescribed fare though boards indicating tariff have been set up in the buses.

Even as the government warned the conductors not to charge extra and also to accept bus passes, the hire buses owners fleeced the passengers by charging exorbitantly and some of the buses had boards like 'pass not accepted' 'No passes'.

The RTC JAC leaders also met Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and submitted a memorandum seeking her intervention.

The RTC JAC leaders said that the two drivers died on Thursday due to shock of dismissal by the government.