Strike called by the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) employees demanding increase of their wages by 43 per cent has affected the bus services in Karimnagar District on Wednesday with the RTC buses confining to their respective depots.
People of Karimnagar District, who solely rely on the RTC buses for transportation due to non-availability of railway facilities, were badly affected following the strike. The people commuting to Hyderabad and other towns were forced to cough up huge amount by travelling in private buses including cars. The autowallahs were also cashing in on the strike by doubling their fares in the district.
All the 914 buses including 170 private hired buses were confined to their respective 11 depots. Everyday about 3.5 lakh people travel in RTC buses in the district. The RTC is incurring a loss of Rs. 96 lakh per day following the strike.
Even as the management had planned to move some of the private buses from the depots, but the union leaders obstructed the movement of the buses by squatting in front of the depot main gates. The union leaders were also foiling the attempts of the management to hire temporary drivers and conductors to operate the bus services.
The pilgrims visiting Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy Devasthanam in Vemulawada of Karimnagar District were also suffering from the RTC strike. The devotees were forced to pay double the fares to reach their respective destinations from the temple.
