Bus passengers were put to hardship by the dawn-to-dusk token strike by employees of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.
The strike forced the KSRTC to suspend more than 1,000 schedules in the district, forcing around 14 lakh regular commuters of the transport utility to look for alternative means of transport. The estimated loss is around Rs.1.25 crore, said a KSRTC official.
Scuffles broke out between striking employees and passengers at Attingal and Venjaramoodu.
Bus stoppedA bus from Kollam depot was stopped at Attingal, resulting in an exchange of words between a passenger and the striking employees. A similar incident occurred at Venjaramoodu.
The strike was called by the Kerala State Road Transport Employees Association (KSRTEA) and the Transport Democratic Front (TDF) in protest against the delay in settling their demands, including a permanent solution to the pension issue.
The corporation has not paid pension for the past three months. Tension prevailed at Statue when the striking employees brought the body of a former KSRTC employee to the protest venue in front of the Secretariat.
Gopinathan Pillai, 64, a pensioner, committed suicide on Wednesday. He was a resident of Vellanad.
His body was kept at the protest venue, leading to tension in the area.
