Passengers in Road Transport Corporation buses were put to a lot of hardship as over 4,000 employees began an indefinite strike in the eight depots across Prakasam District demanding pay hike on Wednesday.
Bus services on 3.30 lakh route kilometre were disrupted in view of the strike. The RTC authorities were able to take out seven buses out of the depot with ruling TDP-led Karmika Parishad members reporting for duty.
Regional Manager V. Naga Sivudu said that as many as 771 buses were confined to the depots across the district following the agitation launched seeking a 43 per cent ''fitment'' benefit at par with State Government employees.
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Buses from Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore were allowed to reach the bus station here in the wee hours by union leaders on humanitarian grounds.
Temporary arrangements
Meanwhile, unemployed youth with heavy vehicle driving license thronged the bus depot as also those with a pass in SSC examination for jobs as drivers and conductors respectively.
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''We are trying to resume services by offering Rs. 1,000 per day for each driver and Rs. 800 for each conductor'', the RM added. Employees should not be held responsible for the losses arising out of State Government's policies favouring private bus operators, said RTC Employees Union Regional Secretary D. Ramesh.
''We cannot be made scapegoats for the losses as a result of concessions extended to various sections of people'', Staff and Workers Federation Regional Secretary M. Ayyappa Reddy added.
Road transport authorities turning a blind eye to violations by private bus operators was responsible for fall in occupancy ratio, opined National Mazdoor Union Regional Secretary S. Prasada Rao.