People in the agency area were the most hit as drivers charged more
Passengers travel by a private vehicle in Karimnagar on Wednesday. Kamareddy railway station packed with commuters.
Khammam: The assurance during Sakala Janula Sammee (SJS) by TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao prompted the RTC employees to go on indefinite strike to achieve their demands. The discrepancies in the salaries of the employees working for Telangana government and RTC forced the RTC employees to resort to an agitation. All the 660 buses in six depots in Khammam district including Khammam, Sattupalli, Bhadrachalam, Kothagudem and Madhira were off the roads as part of the RTC employees stir.
“We have no other option except going on strike. We have been waiting for a statement from Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for the last one year,” said Gaddam Lingamurthy, Khammam district secretary, staff and workers union. He said that the officers had not cut their facilities for the sake of RTC but asking workers to forego benefits for the RTC’s existence.
“K. Chandrasekhar Rao himself stated during SJS that the employees of RTC will be treated on par with state government employees. If needed, RTC will be taken over by the government. These are his words.” he said, adding that they are asking the government to give just 43 per cent fitment.
The bus stations of Khammam, Kotha-gudem and Bhadrac-halam wore a deserted look with no buses or commuters. The stir showed its effect on the Srisitaramachandra Swamy temple in Bhadrachalam. With virtually no devotees rush in Bhadrachalam, all the roads in the town looked as it does on a bandh day.
Though the management tried to ply the buses using private drivers the union leaders did not allow them to do so. The people in the agency area were the most hit as the auto drivers collected more than the regular charges from the commuters. Jeeps plied between the towns in the district. K. Syamala, a teacher said that she paid '50 for an auto ride from Wyra to Khammam. She said that many people postponed their journey, but as the teachers they didn’t have that option.
( Source : dc )
Next Story
