04 September,2024 08:21 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Passengers, wanting to go outstation, return home due to ongoing strike/ Satej Shinde
The strike by Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) employees entered its second day on Wednesday, severely disrupting services and causing inconvenience to millions of passengers, especially with the upcoming Ganeshotsav 2024.
According to MSRTC, as on Wednesday, 94 of the 251 ST bus stands across the state were completely closed while 92 depots were operating partially. The corporation further stated that 65 depots were running smoothly, in the wake of the agitation called by the action committee of 11 trade unions.
Out of 40,069 scheduled trips, 27,470 were canceled owing to the agitation. Around 70% of the services was suspended throughout the day. MSRTC suffered revenue losses worth around Rs 22 crore on Wednesday owing to the strike.
Among the 1,000 additional buses that were plying today, 306 in Mumbai division, 336 in Thane division, and 150 in Palghar division were plying properly. Remaining buses will also ply till late night, MSRTC said.
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The ST administration is repeatedly trying to convince the striking employees to return to work, the agency spokesperson said.
The spokesperson further stated that despite the MSRTC workers' strike, the E-Shivneri bus services between Mumbai and Pune are running smoothly.
According to the PTI report, the employees are demanding salary parity with state government employees, seeking adjustments to their pay scale.
The strike has had a considerable impact on travellers throughout the state, including the operations of MSRTC's extra buses scheduled for the 10-day Ganeshotsav 2024, which begins on September 7.
MSRTC officials indicated that 5,000 more buses, including 4,300 group services, were scheduled to operate between September 3 and 7 from the Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar divisions. Over 1,000 buses were scheduled to travel for the Konkan on Wednesday.
The MSRTC administration announced that an industrial court had deemed the strike illegal and ordered all unions and employees to return to work. The corporation has also asked local authorities to file FIRs against anyone who prevents voluntary employees from working and to videotape such situations.
In reaction to the strike's impact, the MSRTC is considering employing drivers and other staff on long-term contracts to ensure that services continue uninterrupted.
With PTI inputs
