Relief for commuters as RTC buses roll out after three-day strike

Bus services resumed across Telangana after TGSRTC employees called off their three-day strike following an agreement with the government on 11 percent fitment, bringing relief to commuters and restoring normal transport operations statewide.

Hyderabad: Bringing relief to lakhs of daily passengers, bus services resumed across Telangana on Saturday morning after employees of the TGSRTC called off their three-day strike.
Buses rolled out of depots from the first shift, restoring much-needed connectivity in the city and other parts of the State.

Commuters, who had been struggling with limited transport options and higher fares charged by private operators, expressed visible relief as services returned to normal.

Particularly, students, working professionals and women waiting at bus stops welcomed the sight of RTC buses, marking a return to routine travel.

The breakthrough came after prolonged negotiations between the government and workers’ unions. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka announced that the government had agreed to grant an 11per cent fitment to RTC employees, a key demand that paved the way for ending the strike.

Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the talks were constructive and assured that services would stabilise quickly. Union leaders also expressed satisfaction over the outcome and confirmed the withdrawal of the strike.

As part of the agreement, the government will set up a committee comprising officials and union representatives to examine the long-pending demand of merging RTC employees with government service. It has also cleared the way for conducting elections to recognised unions, while other pending issues will be addressed through further discussions.

The negotiations, which began on Friday morning, stretched late into the night, lasting for nearly 14 hours.
RTC Joint Action Committee leaders, led by chairman E Venkanna, had presented a list of 32 demands during the talks, which were held in multiple rounds with senior officials and ministers.