Striking transport workers get nod to hold public meeting

The Telangana High Court on Tuesday granted conditional approval to the joint action committee of the state transport corporation to hold an indoor public meeting here to discuss about their ongoing strike.

The order was passed on a petition filed by Ashwathama Reddy of the joint action committee of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation.

The court granted the permission to the committee to hold the meeting from 3 PM to 6 pm on Wednesday while imposing various conditions to facilitate police to maintain law and order during the meeting.

The court warned the petitioner that if anything went wrong or any loss occurred to people and their properties, he would be singularly held responsible.

The petitioner was directed to confine himself only to the strike-related issues without vitiating the atmosphere.

The organisers of the public meeting had been barred earlier from holding the meeting.

Meanwhile, the strike by the employees entered the 25th day on Tuesday.

The employees and activists of the Congress, BJP and other opposition parties held protests at various places in the state.

They adopted various forms of protest, including 'Swachh Bharat', 'Jala Deeksha' (standing in water bodies for some time) and symbolically seeking alms at different places.

Different employees and workers unions of TSRTC began the indefinite strike from October 5 across Telangana on a call given by the JAC of TSRTC, demanding merger of the RTC with the government and recruitment to various posts, among others.

The striking employees, workers of opposition parties and others have been organising protests in support of their demands and against the TRS government in the state since then.

Ruling out discussions with the agitating unions, the TRS government had said the employees stir was illegal as they caused immense inconvenience to the public.