TSRTC employees rule out calling off strike

Employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) continued their strike on 30th day on Sunday, a day after Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao set final deadline for them to return to work.

The chief minister while announcing privatisation of 5,100 TSRTC routes had asked employees to return to work by November 5 midnight, failing which remaining 5,000 routes will also be privatised.

Joint Action Committee (JAC) of striking employees on Sunday ruled out calling off the strike without the government meeting their demands.

JAC convenor Ashwathama Reddy asked employees not to be scared. He advised them to be courageous and not to compromise on their self-respect.

Recalling that the employees had not returned to work despite the earlier deadline set by the chief minister, he said this time too nobody will join the duty.

He said the chief minister had no right to dismiss any employee.

Meanwhile, another TSRTC employee died of cardiac arrest. JAC leaders said conductor Ravinder of Warangal district died due to depression. About 10 employees have died since the strike began on October 5. Three of them committed suicide.

In another development, Telangana High Court has summoned Chief Secretary S. K. Joshi, TSRTC incharge Managing Director Sunil Sharma and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Commissioner Lokesh Kumar to the court on November 7, when the hearing resumes on strike.

At the previous hearing on November 1, the court had pulled up Sunil Sharma for submitting false report on the dues to be paid to TSRTC by the government and GHMC.