Maharashtra: MSRTC says will suspend more if they don’t resume work

MSRTC employees continue their strike in Dadar on Thursday. Pic/Atul Kamble

The MSRTC has threatened to suspend more employees as only 7,541 of the total 92,266 employees resumed work on Thursday. There's no sign of an end to the strike by protesting staffers with 84,725 employees still adamant on their stand. Some politicians too joined the protesters at Azad Maidan while NGOs are providing the agitators with food and water.

"On Thursday till 8 pm, around 144 buses were operated, ferrying 3,518 passengers. Of these buses, a majority of 19 buses ran between Parel in Mumbai to Pune station, ferrying 433 passengers," an official statement said. After suspending more than 2,000 employees last week, the transport body has issued notices to around 2,000 more this week, asking them to resume work as early as possible.

Officials said 2,296 of the 2,584 daily wage workers were served notices, asking them to join duty within 24 hours or face termination of service. They added that the government was willing to provide protection to those who would join back work.

With all the 250 bus depots remaining closed, it is the average passenger that has been suffering with private operators overcharging them for the smallest of distance. MSRTC employees went on an indefinite strike from October 28 over their demand for merger of the corporation with the state government, but intensified the agitation from Sunday, after the Diwali festival concluded.