MSRTC staff refuse to budge despite Maha CM's appeal

Mumbai: Employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) continued their strike for the 15th day on Thursday over the demand for merger of the cash-strapped corporation with the state government, despite an appeal from Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to cooperate with the government in its effort to resolve their issues.

All 250 bus depots of the MSRTC remained shut for the second consecutive day, an official said.

Lakhs of passengers across the state continue to face hardships with no solution in sight to the issue.

Despite the suspension of over 900 employees, several MSRTC workers are still firm on continuing the agitation until their demand for the merger of the corporation with the state government is met.

According to MSRTC officials and union sources, as of now no meeting with government authorities is scheduled on Thursday for resolving the issue of the strike.

A section of the MSRTC employees are scheduled to meet Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray during the day.

"The situation is unchanged today. All 250 depots are shut across the state," an MSRTC official said.

The state-run corporation has so far suspended 918 employees from various depots for provoking and participating in the strike. Action is likely to be taken against more employees later in the day.

The indefinite strike started from October 28 and gradually intensified after the Diwali festival concluded last week.

On Wednesday, Chief Minister Thackeray appealed to the corporation's employees not to hold the poor people to ransom by continuing their protest.

Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab, who is also the chairman of the MSRTC, on Wednesday met a delegation of the Maharashtra ST Employees Joint Action Committee and appealed to the employees to call off their strike, even as the corporation filed a contempt petition in the Bombay High Court.