Most of the State transport corporation employees here joined the strike on Tuesday. However, Collector M. Ravikumar said 80% of the State-owned buses were operated.
Capitalising on the situation, private bus operators started plying their vehicles from Thoothukudi to various destinations during the peak hours in the morning.
Since office-goers had no alternative, they boarded the crowded private buses to reach their destinations.
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However, the crowds in the buses were not as huge as they were on Monday, sources said.
The transport corporation workers owing allegiance to various unions, including Labour Progressive Front (LPF) and the CITU, staged an attention-seeking demonstration in front of the TNSTC depot here. The demonstration was led by Murugan, central committee treasurer, LPF, sources said.
The members of Tamil Nadu Government Employees’ Association, led by Annamalai Paramasivam, president, Thoothukudi Circle, staged a demonstration on WGC Road in support of the striking TNSTC employees, sources said.
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Minister for Information and Publicity Kadambur C. Raju visited the TNSTC depot near Thoothukudi old bus station and encouraged drivers and conductors to take out the vehicles.
Later he told reporters that the government was making all-out efforts to end the strike and the entire fleet of TNSTC buses would be on road soon.
Collector M. Ravikumar said 240 of the 313 buses in operation here were being run.