Day-long hunger strike keeps RTC fire burning
HYDERABAD: Employees from several depots across the State observed a day-long hunger strike to fuel the TSRTC strike, which entered Day 39 on Tuesday. In the city, depots including HCU, Cantonment and BHEL, partook in the hunger strike, wherein key leaders spent the day without food or water. The hunger strike was held even as senior RTC JAC leaders postponed their indefinite hunger strike plans owing to the High Court hearing on Tuesday.
Some of the depots dedicated their hunger strike to their women conductors after they put up a brave fight during the Chalo Tank Bund protest. “Women conductors from our depot are severely wounded and barely recouping from the agitation on Saturday at Tank Bund. We have dedicated this hunger strike for them,” said Mahesh Goud, secretary of HCU depot.
It was an all-women hunger strike at BHEL depot. “We want the State to urgently address our concerns and understand our plight as it has been two months since we have gotten our salaries,” said an employee.
Civil rights groups support workers
Several civil rights and political groups have come forward to lend support to the TSRTC employees, who have been on a strike for the last 39 days demanding that the State government address their list of 26 demands. Regarding the same, SC, ST, OBC and Minorities’ leaders held a roundtable conference led by the Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) in the city on Tuesday.
Speaking at the meet, TSRTC JAC-1 convenor Hanumath Mudiraj said, “Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has been planning to give away the RTC to private players. Otherwise, why would they not hire replacements for the 6,000 retired employees since 2014? The establishment has ensured the RTC will suffer losses and be pushed into further losses.”
MRPS Manda Krishna Madiga further said, “The RTC has a lot of BC and other minority caste employees working for it. If they privatise it, can the chief minister assure that at least 20 per cent of the new employees will be from backward castes? This seems highly unlikely as the private buses are controlled by upper castes like Vellamas, Reddys.”
A group of social workers, NGOs and parties met Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and sought her intervention in resolving the issue at the earliest.