Karnataka bus strike: Government invites retired drivers to join work, seeks help from armed forces
Karnataka announced slew of measures including offering honorarium to retired drivers and conductors besides roping in private players to silence its employee rebellion in the state.
FollowAs the Karnataka transport strike enters the third day, the state government reiterated its stand on salary revision on Thursday, while inviting retired employees to rejoin the service as part of alternative arrangements.
Apart from this, Karnataka is also contemplating to seek help from the armed and police forces to lend their drivers to overcome this crisis, Karnataka transport department principal secretary, Anjum Parvez told reporters.
He said that the state government has many options before invoking serious measures by running busses taking help from armed forces and police. "These two are the biggest departments where drivers do exist. We can use them by handing over our bus keys to them," he said.
“We had 21,000 private vehicles, including buses, maxicabs and others, offering services today (Thursday). We are inviting retired RTC employees, so that the buses owned by the corporations can also be operated,” he added.
A notification issued later invited retired employees below 62 years of age to work on a contract basis, with an honorarium of Rs 800 for drivers and Rs 700 for conductors, provided they clear the fitness test, including vision test.
According to a statement, 446 buses belonging to the four corporations resumed operations on Thursday. Around 4,412 private buses ferried passengers for Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), 2,188 for North Western KRTC and 4,278 for North Eastern KRTC.
The workers of Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), and North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC), under the banner of Karnataka State Road Transport Employees League, have called for an indefinite strike starting from Wednesday, demanding that the government implement a salary system as per the 6th Pay Commission for workers of state transport undertakings.
Earlier, Karnataka Chief Minister, BS Yediyurappa said that he does not wish to deal with transport corporations employees but employees adamant stand on including them to on-par with the state government employees was just unacceptable by any standards.
After returning from a hectic campaign tour in Belagavi district where his party has fielded Mangala Angadi, widow of former Union Minister, Suresh Angadi, Yediyurappa said, "We have already fulfilled eight of the nine demands made by them. But unfortunately, the employees are being 'misguided' hence they have taken such irrational step of demanding their salaries be brought on par with state government employees by implementing sixth pay commission recommendations."
