People with disabilities to get reserved seats on all ST buses in Maharashtra

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Passengers with disabilities will henceforth be given reserved seats on all types of buses run by the state transport body and it will be the responsibility of the carrier to provide them the seats once they board the bus, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) said in a press release on Thursday.

With a view to make the journey of persons with disabilities more comfortable, MSRTC has issued a circular fixing the reservation of seats for them on different types of buses operated by it. MSRTC has instructed local ST administrations to reserve their reserved seats only for disabled passengers, from ordinary to Shivneri buses.

"When the bus is not carrying a disabled passenger, the seat shall be available for general passengers. However, it shall be the responsibility of the carrier concerned to promptly make the seat available to the disabled passenger in case they board the bus at any stop. Along with this, instructions have also been given to give persons with disabilities priority when they board and alight the bus so that they do not face any problem while traveling," the press release further stated.

Drivers of the buses have been asked to help persons with disabilities board the bus and alight, too, after informing them of their stop.

Meanwhile, two days after their agitation, the MSRTC workers on Wednesday evening called off their strike after Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Eknath Shinde's assurance, the officials said.

The trade unions representing Maharashtra transport corporation employees decide to call off strike on CM's pay hike assurance, the union leaders said. "CM Shinde also assured agitating workers action committee that a rise of Rs 6,500 in basic salary will be done," an official said.

The strike by MSRTC employees had on Wednesday entered its second day, severely disrupting services and causing inconvenience to millions of passengers from the state including in the Mumbai division, especially with the upcoming Ganeshotsav 2024.

According to an official statement, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced a salary increase of Rs 6,500 per month for employees of the MSRTC. The decision, which applies from April 2020, was made during a meeting held on Wednesday.