With the Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers Association expressing its solidarity with striking Telangana State Road Transport Corporation, trade union leaders on Tuesday said they would continue the stir as they felt ‘encouraged’.
As the strike entered its 11th day, TSRTC Joint Action Committee union leaders Ashwathama Reddy, K. Raji Reddy and Thomas Reddy, apart from others, entered into talks with TNGO office-bearers, including Karam Ravinder Reddy.
“The talks lasted for a long time and they decided to support us. This has encouraged us and we will go ahead with our legitimate strike. Everybody is with us now, this includes several unions of the Transco and Genco, teachers union and now the TNGOs. Only Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is not with us and is alone,” said TSRTC-JAC leader Thomas Reddy after the meeting.
Protests everywhere
Mr. Reddy said that the support ‘pouring in’ from various organisations and unions will lead to the TSRTC-JAC making efforts to intensify the strike.
Protests continued at several bus depots across the city and State with advocates expressing solidarity with protesting TSRTC staff at the Telangana High Court as a hearing connected to the strike was underway.
Security at the Ranigunj Depots 1 and 2 was beefed up. Concertina wired prevented striking TSRTC employees from entering as temporary drivers were reporting for duty.
Heavy police presence
Amidst police presence, several striking staff staged a dharna near Tower 19 and raised slogans against Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. They invoked the ending of life of D Srinivas Reddy, the Khammam bus depot driver who set himself ablaze and later succumbed to his burns at Apollo Hospital, DRDO, and B Surender Goud, a Ranjigunj depot conductor who hanged himself at his home. Protests were also organised at Jubilee Bus Station and Bus Bhavan.
TSRTC JAC leaders said that the they would organise rasta roko at several places across the city and State on Wednesday. They said that no detention could deter them from what is a legitimate strike. Meanwhile, in an effort to bring about normalcy in services, TSTRC management claimed that it pressed into service a total of 6,144 buses. They stated that 62% of its fleet plied the roads. As many as 4,192 temporary drivers and an equal number of conductors worked on Tuesday.
