The transport impasse in Maharashtra showed no signs of resolving itself with Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) employees refusing to budge from their ongoing strike on Thursday in spite of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's earlier calls to resume duties.
More than 900 staffers have been suspended by the State government since the beginning of this week for inciting and participating in the strike.
While the protest has been going on for nearly two weeks now, it has intensified since Monday with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coming out in support of the MRTC workers and demanding that the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government immediately fulfill the protestors’ chief demand which is to be accepted as State government employees.
Accusing Opposition BJP of stoking the fumes of protest, State Transport Minister Anil Parab claimed that while many MSRTC workers wanted to resume duties, they were being prevented from doing so.
“The government will provide these workers protection… I have been repeatedly urging the ST workers to take back the strike as it is greatly inconveniencing ordinary citizens. The chief demands of the MSRTC employees will have to be solved by the State government-appointed high-level committee as per the Bombay High Court’s directions,” Mr. Parab said on Thursday.
‘Demands accepted’
Observing that the government had already accepted all the demands of the protesting workers excepting the one pertaining to increment, the Minister censured the intransigence of the agitators while noting that the High Court had already declared the strike invalid.
He reiterated again that the MSRTC workers’ prime demand for merger with the State government was not one that could be acted on at a short notice.
“The government had already appointed a committee to study the merger demand…there are more than 50 corporations like the MSRTC. If the MSRTC were to be merged, then all of them would be demanding a similar merger with the State government,” Mr. Parab said.
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