Even as the normal bus services remained paralysed in the rural areas of the district for yet another day, the police rounded up 830 striking transport corporation workers affiliated to different trade unions for attempting to picket the Collectorate to press their demands.
According to sources, of the more then 800 buses operated from the 13 depots of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) in the district, abut 35 services were maintained in the rural areas and more than 50 % services in the city limits.
The five-day long strike continues to hit the students and office-goers.
The omni buses were operated during the day time too for yet another day.
A large number of TNSTC employees affiliated to striking trade unions of CITU, AITUC, LPF, INTUC and Pattali Thozhirsangam attempted to picket the Collectorate in the city.
Police forcibly removed them and rounded them up. All of them were later released in the evening, police source said.
Meanwhile, the TNSTC Salem region served show cause notice to about 2,500 striking workers in the Salem and Dharmapuri divisions. The notice directed the workers to resume duty with immediate effect, failing which it warned them with department wise action.
The city police also rounded up cadre of the CPI (M) when they attempted picketing near the Collectorate in support of the transport corporation workers. A. Ramamoorthy, district secretary of the party, led the agitation.
In Namakal, the town police arrested 150 striking transport corporation workers when they attempted picketing on the Park road here on Monday.
The TNSTC sources said that 300 of the 350 TNSTC buses from the four depots were being operated in the district with the temporary drivers.
The Tiruchengode Police rounded up 16 CPI (M) cadre, including a couple of women, when they staged demonstration without police permission near Elachipalayam bus stand in support of the striking transport corporation workers.
BAR Elangovan, in-charge of the Namakkal east district unit of the DMK, met the striking workers and expressed the party’s support to their strike.
