Bus strike enters third day: Government Vs RTC

Hyderabad: Normal life in Andhra Pradesh and Telengana was thrown out of gear for the third day as employees of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) continued with their strike for hike in salaries.

Office-goers and normal passengers had a tough time after APSRTC buses stayed away from roads, though alternative arrangements had been made. The most effected are the students who are appearing for Eamcet on Friday. APSRTC employees protested at different places in the two states, demanding a 43 per cent hike in their salaries. They tried to prevent buses from being operated by temporary staff brought in by the APSRTC management to run bus services with police escort. Incidentally, the APSRTC is yet to be divided between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana following bifurcation in year 2014.
The APSRTC is the major public transport company which operates more than 20,000 passenger buses in both the states. APSRTC buses cover about 79.83 lakh kilometres and carry 156.78 lakh people to their destinations everyday. APSRTC Managing Director N Sambasiva Rao said that the Andhra Pradesh state government has appointed a cabinet sub-committee to hold talks with striking APSRTC employees and added that employees should come for talks as well as approach the issue in a cordial manner. He urged school and engineering college managements to run buses free of cost for as many as 2.50 lakh students scheduled to take the Engineering, Agriculture, Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET).