The Telangana High Court is putting all sorts of brakes to the speed of CM K Chandrasekhar Rao. Now, the court has ordered KCR to stop the privatisation of 5,100 routes till Monday. The court also ordered the government to submit the Cabinet proceedings concerning the routes privatisation. This is indeed a big shock. KCR is taking all decisions against the RTC employees at review meetings with the officials. Cabinet meetings are a mere formality.

The HC is making no secret of its unhappiness against the KCR government’s handling of the RTC crisis. Though orders are given to pay salaries to the striking employees, the government is not paying. This has become a reason for serious differences between the government and the judiciary.

The High Court is equally hitting back at the KCR Circar in every aspect. The Central Government is also not cooperating with KCR. The BJP is trying to weaken TRS and make political gains out of this.

As per High Court orders, the RTC management held talks with the employees’ JAC leaders today. However, the talks failed to yield any result. The JAC leaders came out of the meeting and expressed their disappointment. JAC Convenor Aswathama Reddy said that the management is refusing to discuss all the 26 items proposed by them. He further said that the talks were being held in a unilateral way. The KCR government seems to have called for these talks only for name sake in view of the High Court orders.

Only yesterday, the government gave indications of its two-pronged strategy to resolve the strike. But, its game plan changed once again. The JAC leaders are saying that this kind of talks will not be held even with an enemy country. The ruling TRS is treating employees very badly by confining the talks to just 21 items.

The employees’ leaders accused the management of trying to leave an impression that the JAC is not cooperating for the talks as per the court orders. Understandably, the government has set a prior agenda for holding these talks. Aswathama Reddy announced that they would be ready to attend talks if the management is ready to discuss all the 26 items.

With the indefinite strike by the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) employees entering its 22nd day on Saturday, the Corporation management has started talks with its employee leaders to break the impasse.

Acting on the direction of the Telangana High Court, the TSRTC on Saturday morning invited the Joint Action Committee (JAC), which is spearheading the strike to press for various demands and in the afternoon began discussions to resolve the deadlock

The government had on Wednesday constituted a committee of TSRTC officials to look into the employees’ demands, except that for the TSRTC’s merger with the government.

The committee submitted its report to the government late on Friday. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao discussed the report with Transport Minister P. Ajay Kumar and officials. It was at this meeting that the Chief Minister directed the TSRTC to invite JAC leaders for talks.

JAC convenor Ashwatthama Reddy had earlier said talks would be held on all the demands. He denied dropping the demand of merger.

The talks are being held two days before the next hearing of public interest litigations (PILs) in the High Court. At the previous hearing last week, the High Court had directed the government to hold talks with the striking employees.

The strike by nearly 50,000 employees began on October 5, but the government declared the strike illegal and refused to hold talks with the employees. After the expiry of the deadline on October 5 evening, the Chief Minister declared that only 1,200 employees remained in the state-owned transport entity.

KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, said over 48,000 employees dismissed themselves by not joining duty before the expiry of the deadline. He threatened to deal firmly with those trying to disrupt bus services being operated by the TSRTC with the help of temporary employees.

The Chief Minister also directed officials to recruit more drivers and conductors on temporary basis and hire more private buses.

The strike took a political turn when the entire Opposition extended support to the strike. The JAC has been staging protests across the state. It also called a state-wide shutdown last week.

In between the the strike two employees committed suicide, while some others died of cardiac arrest, allegedly due to depression caused by the job loss and non-receipt of salaries for September.

KCR on Thursday stated that the TSRTC has no money to pay salaries to its employees. He even remarked that the Corporation is finished and nobody can save it from shutting down. He blamed the union leaders for the situation and hinted that the government will go ahead with the privatisation of the Corporation.

In a new twist to the ongoing strike by employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC), police in Hyderabad on Friday booked their leader on a complaint by a driver.

Joint Action Committee (JAC) convenor Ashwathama Reddy was booked on charges of wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation.

The case was registered at Kukatpally police station on a complaint by driver K. Raju, who alleged that Reddy was instigating employees and was responsible for deaths of few employees. The complainant said that the demand to merge the TSRTC with the government was Reddy’s own demand and not that of employees.

The development came on 21st day of the strike by more than 48,000 employees of the state-owned transport utility over various demands including the merger of the TSRTC with the government so that they are treated at par with the government employees.

The case was booked hours after Ashwathama Reddy alleged that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao was trying to divide the striking employees to foil their protest.

The Chief Minister had said on Thursday that the TSRTC is on the verge of closure due to the strike and blamed its union leaders for this situation. He alleged that the union leaders were playing with the lives of the workers.

Rao also firmly ruled out the TSRTC’s merger, saying it can never happen. Stating that neither the TSRTC nor the government has money to pay the September salary to the employees, he remarked that nobody can save the corporation.

The Chief Minister had already declared that 48,000 workers ceased to be employees of the TSRTC as they did not join the duty before the expiry of the deadline.

The strike has seen suicide of two employees while some other died of cardiac arrest, allegedly due to depression over losing the job and not receiving salaries.

Meanwhile, Ashwathama Reddy and other JAC leaders held a meeting with the BJP’s state President K. Laxman on Friday. The BJP leader said that the party has brought the issue of strike to the Centre’s notice.

Laxman alleged that Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders had set their eyes on the assets of the TSRTC and that was the reason they were talking of shutting it down. He assured all support to the striking employees and urged them not be cowed down by the threats.

State-owned Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) told the Telangana High Court that it has no money to pay salaries for September to the employees, whose indefinite strike continued on 17th day on Monday.

The TSRTC informed Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili that the public utility requires Rs 239 crore to pay the salaries to over 48,000 employees while it currently has only Rs 7.49 crore.

TSRTC incharge Managing Director Sunil Sharma, in his counter-affidavit, told the court that the strike has resulted in loss of Rs 125 crore during the Dasara season.

The court was told the TSRTC was running in losses and dependent on the government to pay salaries to the staff.

The organisation submitted this during the hearing on a petition by National Mazdoor Union, seeking direction to the TSRTC and the state government to pay salaries for the month of September to all the employees.

According to the affidavit, the company’s annual income last year was Rs 4,882 crore while the expenditure was Rs 5,811 crore. It had outstanding loans of Rs 4,709 crore and arrears to the tune of Rs 1,660 crore were payable to the employees.

The court was also informed that the salaries of the employees were hiked by 67 per cent since the formation of Telangana state. They were given 44 per cent fitment in June 2015, which imposed a burden of Rs 900 crore annually. In July 2018, 16 per cent interim relief was provided to the employees at an additional cost of Rs 200 crore.

The incharge MD submitted to the court that the employees illegally went on strike when their demands were being discussed at the Labour Department. He said though the government gave an assurance that it will strengthen thecorporation, the employees still went on strike, causing hardship to people.

The petitioner argued that since the employees worked during the entire month of September, non-payment of salaries for the working period is unconstitutional. It also brought to the court’s notice that non-payment of salaries was driving employees to the suicides.

After hearing the arguments from both sides, the judge adjourned the hearing to October 29.

The next hearing will be a day after a division bench resumes hearing on Public Interest Litigation (PIL), seeking direction to end the strike.

The indefinite strike by the TSRTC entered its 17th day on Monday. The strike began on October 5 with a charter of 26 demands, the main being the TSRTC’s merger with the government.

Despite the High Court suggesting to the government, the TSRTC and striking employees to initiate talks, the impasse continued as both sides stuck to their demands.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of striking employees want the government or TSRTC management to invite them talks to discuss all demands including merger.

However, the government has ruled out taking back the striking employees into the TSRTC. Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao has already declared that they ceased to TSRTC employees as they did not join duties before the expiry of the deadline.

The government has termed the strike illegal and slammed the employees for going on strike during festival causing huge loss to TSRTC, which was already in the red.

The TSRTC has been running the bus services with the help of temporary employees while the striking employees were continuing protests across the state.

Meanwhile, educational institutions re-opened on Monday following extended Dasara holidays. The government had extended the holidays by a week in view of the strike.

TSRTC officials claimed that the strike did not have much impact on the students as the bus services were operated to near normal level.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister P. Ajay Kumar on Monday held a video conference with TSRTC officials and District Collectors. He directed them to ensure that 100 per cent of the bus services are operated.

For the second time on October 18, the High Court had asked the TSRTC to hold talks with the leaders of the employee unions.

A Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) driver, who attempted self-immolation, succumbed to his injuries at a hospital here on Sunday, triggering protests by striking employees and opposition parties.

Srinivas Reddy, who set himself on fire in Khammam town on Saturday and sustained critical injuries, died at the Apollo DRDO Hospital in Hyderabad, where he was admitted.

The driver had resorted to the extreme step during a protest by TSRTC employees, whose indefinite strike entered the ninth day on Sunday.

Employee unions alleged that Reddy was depressed over losing his job as Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has announced that over 48,000 employees dismissed themselves by not joining duty before deadline set by the state government. He has ruled out taking back these employees into TSRTC.

The driver’s death triggered tension near hospital in Kanchanbagh area as leaders of TSRTC employee unions and opposition parties reached there and staged a protest against the government, blaming it for the employee’s death.

The protestors raised slogan against the government. The police had a tough time in controlling the crowd at the hospital.

Tension prevailed in Khammam district as incidents of stone pelting on the TSRTC buses were reported since Saturday evening.

Unknown protestors stopped buses being operated by temporary drivers, forced the passengers to get down and then attacked the vehicles. No one was injured in these incidents.

As TSRTC is operating buses with temporary staff, three incidents of attacks on drivers occurred in Khammam.

A Joint Action Committee (JAC) of TSRTC employees unions on Saturday decided to further intensify the strike. It called for a state-wide shutdown on October 19.

The Chief Minister has rejected all the demands of the striking employees including the main demand for merger of TSRTC with the government. He also ruled out talks with them.