RTC JAC appeals staff not to join duty, says no one has the right to dismiss them

Hyderabad: The striking TSRTC employees are facing a dilemma over the future course of action amid diverge statements from the Telangana government and JAC leaders. The Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Saturday evening assured job to the striking TSRTC employees if they join before Tuesday midnight (November 5). Reacting to this, TSRTC JAC convener Ashwathama Reddy asked the employees to not to yield to pressure tactics by the TRS government while asserting that no one has the right to dismiss the staff.

"Telangana Chief Minister is dictating terms to courts and advocates. No one has the power to dismiss TSRTC employees. I appeal all the RTC employees not to join duty. Please don't come under pressure tactics played by the TRS government. How can the CM ask employees to join duty when he doesn't want to hold talks with the unions? The way, our CM is talking will create new problems for TSRTC. If the government privatises routes for 5,000 buses, what will be the fate of existing RTC employees?

The JAC Convener further held CM responsible for suicides of 15 RTC employees.

"How can private operators accept the routes that don't give returns? The Chief Minister is saying loss-making routes will be given to private bus owners. Are they mad people to take loss-making routes? The CM further says that strike is illegal. I challenge the CM to prove how it's an illegal strike?" said Reddy.

"We will intensify the strike by involving students' organisations, unemployees and political parties. First, you resolve the problems of RTC employees. Then no union is required at TSRTC. Except for one or two employees, no one is coming forward to join the duty. The strike will continue until our demands are fulfilled. We postponed our Rasta Roko programme owing to the exams on November 5," he further added.

Protection to RTC staff

Meanwhile, Hyderabad Commissioner of Police (CP) Anjan Kumar Yadav has assured all the employees of total protection if they join the duty. "An inspector-level team will be deployed at every bus depot to protect all the employees who come forward to report back to duty. The Police department will arrest anyone, whoever prevent the employees from performing the duty or create violence at bus depots or bus stands or cause inconvenience to passengers," said Yadav.