Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao: RTC workers can resume work from 29 November

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, on Thursday, while ending an impasse over Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) workers' strike that lasted nearly two months, said that the employees can happily resume their duties from Friday. The chief minister, during a cabinet meeting that was held in Telangana, said, "The employees can happily join the services from tomorrow."

Relief after an ongoing struggle

The strike had been going on since October. Around 48,000 employees were on strike urging to merge TSRTC with the government along with other demands like a revision of pay. Announcing that the government will provide compassionate jobs to the kin of RTC employees who died during the strike, Rao said, "The government will sanction Rs 100 crores to the RTC for immediate working capital. We will also increase ticket fare by 20 paise so that it will help the RTC in generating more revenue."

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"I am going to Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Soon after, I am going to meet RTC employees and I will speak to them personally. We will not let any union speak to us. We will set up a 'Workers Welfare Council' with a senior minister in charge," he added.

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However, the Chief Minister criticised various unions, parties, especially Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state, for inciting the employees and said, "Oppositions have used RTC employees for their politics." While adding to the set of announcements, he said that the Telangana government has decided to release Rs 571 crores to repair the roads which got damaged in the rains.

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About the strike

The strike that went on for two months ended now. The employees started the strike on October 5. During the strike, the Transport Corporation Joint Action Committee demanded the merger of the Regional Transport Committee with the Telangana government. They further asked for the prohibition of electric buses.

According to reports, ever since the beginning of the strike, more than 2,000 busses have remained grounded in the State. After the TSRTC employee, Srinivas Reddy, who died after allegedly immolating himself, protests also broke out in different parts of the city and other places, with employees raising slogans and holding the state government responsible for his death.

READ | Centre will take steps to get justice for striking TSRTC employees: MoS Home Kishan Reddy