Less than 1% employees resume work despite KCR's warning: TSRTC JAC chief

Despite the warnings by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, less than one per cent employees of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) have resumed work.

"We urge the chief minister to resolve the issue because after a strict deadline not even 1 per cent of the employees have returned to work. Hence, now the Chief Minister must negotiate and fulfil the demands of the TSRTC employees," TSRTC Joint Action Committee (JAC) president Ashwathama Reddy told ANI here.

Yesterday, Ashwathama had said that the JAC will not abide by the deadline set by KCR to rejoin services and urged the drivers and conductors to join them in their protest.

"We are boycotting Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's call to join back services before November 5. We are going to protest in front of all RTC depot's and later on the family members of RTC employees will also participate in the protest," Ashwathama said.

"We also request the conductors and drivers who are performing duties with RTC to join us in the protest," he had added.

Ramachandra Khuntia, Congress general secretary and in-charge of Telangana said that the matter had now turned sensitive and the death of dozens of employees revealed the state government's undemocratic and arrogant behaviour.

"Dismissing 49000 workers, illegally and undemocratically which became the cause of death of close to 24 workers. I think this is a unique incident of arrogance and dictatorship action not only in the country but in the whole world. So I must say if the RTC employees issue is not solved then the government has failed and they should resign immediately," Khuntia said.

Lok Sabha MP from Nizamabad, Dharmapuri Arvind slammed the KCR government for its handling of the issue and said that it was wrongly blaming the centre, "The Chief Minister is blaming centre for its newly passed act in which the centre has given freedom to the states, they have advised few things and then left the decision freedom to the states.

"If one wants to implement then it can be done, if not then its another matter," Arvind added.

The Telangana Chief Minister's Office had issued a statement warning the striking TSRTC staff that if they fail to resume duty by the deadline of November 5, the state government will not take them back.

Employees of the TSRTC have been on strike for the past few weeks now. Earlier this week, they intensified their indefinite protest against the sacking of over 40,000 employees by the state government.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of TSRTC has been on a strike since October 5 demanding merger of the corporation with the state government and revision of pays among other demands.