MSRTC staffers remain firm; BJP threatens to lock MD’s cabin

Protesting MSRTC workers at Azad Maidan on Monday. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) managed to run only 134 buses on Monday, with 6,895 of the 92,000 on-roll employees resuming work. Most of the others remained firm on their demand for the loss-making corporation's merger with the state government.

Meanwhile, the BJP threatened to further intensify the protest.

"Nearly 134 buses were operated till 7 pm, ferrying about 2,853 passengers. While 47 of them ferried 809 passengers on the Dadar-Pune route, 457 passengers travelled via 15 buses on the Aurangabad-Pune, Nashik-Pune, Jalgaon-Dhule and Sakoli-Bhandara routes," a senior official said.

The MSRTC issued a pamphlet on Friday, urging protesting employees to call off their strike immediately. Ordinary commuters have been suffering and the MSRTC is losing R15-R20 crore daily due to the strike, the pamphlet read, also warning of the long-term financial repercussions.

BJP's Pravin Darekar, the leader of opposition in the state legislative assembly who visited Azad Maidan, said the government should not try to force anyone to resume work, and that it was time that officers also joined the strike, not just workers.

"If the issue is not resolved quickly, within two to three days, we shall put a lock on the cabin of MSRTC's managing director and stage a protest," Darekar said.

Meanwhile, police diverted BEST buses at Kala Nagar in Bandra East, near the residence of transport minister and MSRTC chairman Anil Parab, due to the planned protests.

The MSRTC employees went on an indefinite strike on October 28 demanding merger of the corporation with the state government. They intensified the agitation on Sunday, after the Diwali festival.

134
No. of buses MSRTC ran on Monday