Transfers work; 105 of 250 bus MSRTC depots opened on Monday

MSRTC employees continue their strike at Azad Maidan on Monday. Pic/Suresh Karkera

Around 105 of the 250 MSRTC bus depots across the state opened on Monday with over 19,000 of the 92,000 employees resuming duty. Meanwhile, cases were registered against employees who tried to stop buses at Latur and Dharur bus depots.

Sources said the idea of transferring employees seemed to have worked well to end the stalemate even as a majority still remained firm on the strike. Trade union leaders said the MSRTC has transferred several employees since last week, owing to which attendance at many depots has improved. They added that bus operations at some more depots are likely to resume.

Maharashtra Minister of Transport and MSRTC chairman Anil Parab had appealed to employees to return to work and had taken a review meeting on Friday, offering police protection to all those who were willing to work.

Sources said one of the arrested agitating employees, a bus conductor, allegedly tried to self-immolate by pouring petrol on his body after climbing on top of a bus at Latur depot on Sunday. He was stopped after timely intervention by a few staffers present at the spot along with the police deployed for bandobast. The employee has been handed over to the police and booked for the act on Monday. So far, 40 buses have been damaged in the various protests across the state.

MSRTC has so far suspended 9,625 permanent staff and terminated the services of 1,990 daily wage workers following the strike, as per officials.

The employees went on an indefinite strike from October 28 over their demand for merger of the cash-strapped corporation with the state government and intensified it after the Diwali festival concluded. An HC-appointed committee is looking into this demand. The government has offered an interim salary hike, but employees have remained adamant.