Buses go off in Telangana as TSRTC strike begins

Hyderabad: Buses of state-owned Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) went off the roads across the state as employees began an indefinite strike from Friday midnight to press for their demands.
Hundreds of passengers were stranded at bus stations across the state and people travelling to their destinations for Dasara and Bathukamma festivals faced severe inconvenience as over 10,000 buses remained confined to the bus depots.
Authorities were running skeletal services by using 2,100 hired buses and deploying temporary drivers and other workers. Buses of some schools were also pressed into service.
The Joint Action Committee of TSRTC employee unions claimed that all 50,000 employees are participating in the strike. JAC leaders said they were not afraid of the government threats to dismiss striking employees from service.
The government has declared the strike illegal and warned that those not returning to duties by 6 p.m. on Saturday will be dismissed from service.
Officials said Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) will be invoked to deal with the strike. They claim that TSRTC management had the power to dismiss the striking employees from service.