Delhi Govt. warns DTC workers to resume duty 'within three hours'

The Delhi Government on Tuesday warned Delhi Transport Corporation staffers who are on strike to resume duty 'within three hours' or face dismissal from service, accusing the

workers' unions of falling prey to the Bharatiya Janata Party's 'agendas'.

"DTC workers need to be back to their duties within three hours, else they will be expelled. The DTC unions need to decide if they want to serve the people of Delhi or work on the BJP's agenda," Delhi

Transport Minister Gopal Rai said at a media briefing here.

Earlier in the day, the AAP Government applied the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against DTC staffers on strike. This move came after the DTC had earlier on Monday issued an advisory to its workers, asking them to call off their strike and return to work immediately.

The strike was called by the DTC Union after a 42-year-old DTC driver Ashok Kumar Singh died after being thrashed violently by a motorcyclist. Following the incident, the AAP Government had said that it would provide Rs five lakh compensation to the victim's family. However, the DTC Union rejected the compensation as being too meagre and called for an indefinite strike.