NALGONDA: RTC workers and leaders of Left parties, student unions and other organisations who participated in the 2019 RTC strike are still facing court cases. These cases have become obstacles for some students seeking to go abroad for higher studies and jobs. The strike lasted for 52 days, and over 2,000 transport corporation employees and union leaders are facing court cases across the state. The previous government had promised to withdraw the cases but did not follow through.
The RTC workers went on strike with demands to merge the Telangana RTC with the government, provide job security, immediately pay the dues owed by the government to the RTC and other issues. Student unions, youth organisations and Left parties supported the strike. In an attempt to break the strike, the previous government allegedly tried to appoint private individuals as bus drivers and operate buses on various routes. Subsequently, police arrested leaders of several organisations who blocked the buses and booked them.
It has been alleged that illegal cases were filed against more than 300 employees and leaders in the erstwhile Nalgonda district. Former CM K Chandrashekar Rao had promised to resolve the issues, leading to the strike being called off. On this occasion, he had invited the RTC workers to Pragathi Bhavan (now Praja Bhavan) and assured them that the transport corporation would be merged with the government.
Additionally, he had promised to withdraw the cases filed against the workers and union leaders. However, he demanded the dissolution of unions within the RTC, which led to the cancellation of unions.
Locals said that a Communist leader from Nalgonda district tried to travel to the US six months ago but had his tickets cancelled at the last minute allegedly due to these cases. Similarly, a Telangana Vidyarthi Jana Samithi leader, who had applied for a passport to pursue an MS in the US, had his application rejected for the same reason, they claimed.
RTC workers have also complained about the difficulty of attending court hearings while managing their jobs and the need to apply for leave.
Speaking to TNIE, Telangana Vidyavantula Vedika district president Pandula Saidulu alleged that illegal cases were registered against him for supporting the strike. He urged CM A Revanth Reddy to withdraw the cases filed against workers and union leaders and also requested the government to fulfil the demands made during the strike.
Despite multiple meetings with ministers, the workers and leaders said no action has been taken regarding the withdrawal of the cases. They said that after calling off the strike, KCR invited them for lunch but has since not granted them an appointment.
