TSRTC stir: All-party team meets Governor T Soundararajan

Opposition parties on Thursday urged Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan to intervene and end the deadlock over TSRTC strike.

They felt that the Centre must intervene as people were suffering due to the strike and lives of families of TSRTC employees were at stake. An all-party delegation, comprising CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka, senior Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao, CPI State secretary Chada Venkat Reddy, CPM State secretary Thammineni Veerabhadram, TJS president M Kodandaram, Telangana TDP leader Ravula Chandrashekhar Reddy, BJP leader Mohan Reddy and others, called on the Governor here on Thursday evening.

Speaking to the media after meeting the Governor, Bhatti said the State government was being adamant in dealing with the strike. He alleged that rather than resolving the issue amicably, the government was keen on privatising the corporation. “We informed the Governor that the government was not even considering the High Court directions. She responded positively and assured us to take up the issue with the State government,” he said.

Venkat Reddy said the Centre had 30 per cent share in the



TSRTC and could come to the rescue of RTC workers. He said the strike was legitimate. Veerabhadram said deaths of RTC workers must be considered seriously and felt that the State government cannot take unilateral decisions pertaining to the corporation without the Central government’s consent. Any move to privatise it must be approved by its board which had not been appointed till date.

TJS president Kodandaram said the Governor was completely aware of the ongoing strike and demanded that the Ministers take up the issue with the Chief Minister during Saturday’s Cabinet meeting.

Senior Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao said the Governor expressed shock over the deaths of the RTC employees and promised to take up the issue soon. BJP leader Mohan Reddy said private operators were being allowed into RTC without the Central government’s approval despite the latter’s share in the corporation. TTDP leader Ravula Chandrashekhar Reddy sought to know whether the State government would hand over the State administration to private sector as the government too had crores of debt like TSRTC.