Decision on Telangana State Road Transport Corporation strike today 

HYDERABAD: The talks between the Telangana Mazdoor Union (TMU), a union of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC)  and the management failed to reach an amicable solution on Friday. Transport Minister P Mahender Reddy has requested the agitating unions to call off the proposed strike from June 11 and assured to set up a committee to study the working of RTCs in other states to find a solution to the issues. The unions will take a final call on the issue on Saturday.

At a review meeting held on Thursday evening, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had said the proposed strike by the RTC employees would result in `4 crore loss every day in addition to the `700 crore loss being incurred by the TSRTC every year. He also said the TSRTC had total debts of around `3,000 crore. On Friday, the transport minister reiterated the points raised by the chief minister to TSRTC management and the five unions that took part in the meeting.  

“The State government has requested the unions to call off the strike. Once they call off the strike we can hold discussions with them. The corporation is already running in losses and we will have to see what can be done about 50 per cent  fitment. The employees’ unions will get back to us tomorrow,”  Reddy said. The minister assured that if the strike is called off, the state would set up a committee to look into functioning of RTCs in other states. The task of committee would be to study other RTCs and find ways to resolve the crisis, he added. 

However, the RTC unions are in no mood to relent. “What is the point of the meeting today to resolve the issues if the chief minister has already put his foot down?” asked V Tirupathi, president, Telangana Mazdoor Union. They are asking us to call off the strike but are not giving an assurance that they will fulfil our demands,” he added. The union members and the RTC management were also invited for a conciliation meeting on Friday. “These meetings will go on. We will take a final call on the proposed strike by Saturday evening,” said Ashwathama Reddy, general secretary, TMU.