Telangana: Striking TSRTC drop merger demand

Striking employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) have decided to temporarily drop their main demand for the Corporation's merger with the government.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the striking employees took the decision to keep aside the demand as the government showed no sign to soften its stand on the 41th day of the protest on Thursday.

The employees have now asked the government to fulfill their other demands.

Speaking to ANI on Friday here, a TSRTC employee, Ravinder Reddy said that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was not concerned about the lives of the protesting workers.

He said that the employee would sit on a hunger strike starting Saturday. "We shall continue our strike until the demands are fulfilled," he said.

"It has been 42 days since we began our strike but the government is not responding at all. We urge the government to fulfill the other 25 demands," another employee, Ramadevi, told ANI.

The employees have been on a strike since October 5 with several demands including revision of pay. At least five RTC employees have committed suicide since the commencement of the strike.