Delhi government appeals to DTC employees to end strike

Announcing it would bear the educational and medical expenses of the daughter and wife of a DTC bus driver who was killed in a road rage incident, the Delhi government on Monday appealed to the protesting DTC employees to call off their strike.

Ashok Singh, the DTC bus driver, was killed when his bus accidently hit a biker from behind and a quarrel ensued with a heated exchange of words between them.

The government urged the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) employees to call off their strike, saying the government would not tolerate the inconvenience caused to the public because of the strike.

"We request the employees to return to work immediately failing which they will face serious repercussions," a statement said.

"All the cost of education and treatment of the daughter and wife of late Ashok Kumar will be taken care by the Delhi government," the statement of the transport department of Delhi government added.

Earlier, Transport minister Gopal Rai had announced a compensation of Rs. five lakh for the family and a permanent job in the transport department for one member of Ashok Singh's family.

Rai, in a statement said, the transport department was drawing up an emergency plan for deployment of marshals in DTC buses.

"The department in consultation with the department of home will declare its plan very soon about the utilisation of home guard jawans for the purpose. It has also been decided to plan installation of CCTV cameras in buses at the earliest," he said.

Calling the strike illegal, the minister said, "It was beyond any reasonable understanding that when the government has assured the employees of any demand put forward by them would be duly considered, despite that public was put to extreme inconvenience due to a politically motivated strike."

"The government will deal sternly with the strike, which is completely illegal and called without any prior notice and appeals by the government for talks were not heeded to."