MSRTC stir: 123 depots partially functional, over 2,200 bus services operated on Tuesday

The stir-hit Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation said it had resumed partial operations from 123 of its 250 depots and had run 2,264 bus services on Tuesday.

Staffers have been on strike since October 28 demanding merger of the cash-strapped undertaking with the state government, with the stir intensifying on November 9 when bus services got paralyzed.

An MSRTC official said, as part of action against those participating in the agitation, 135 permanent employees were suspended, taking the total number of people who have faced this punishment to 9,910, while the services of 2014 temporary workers has been terminated so far.

''Out of 92,266 staffers, a total of 19,995 employees, including 2,319 drivers and 2,049 conductors, reported to work on the 41st day of strike. We ran 2,264 bus services, including 1,818 ordinary ones, from 123 out of 250 depots. The highest number of functional depots, 43 out of 55, was in Pune region, followed by 32 of 45 depots in Mumbai region,'' an MSRTC spokesperson said.

The number of depots from which buses are operating went up to 123 during the day from 105 on Monday, he added.

He said the staffers who had reported to work were given their November salaries on Tuesday.

Officials said, as per the announcement made earlier by state transport minister Anil Parab, the staffers were given hiked Dearness Allowance (DA) and House Rent Allowance (HRA), along with interim hike of Rs 250 to 5000 in basic salary depending on service period.

On Monday, the undertaking had filed a police case in Uran in Raigad on Monday against some protesting staffers for obstructing the work of their colleagues.

MSRTC has a fleet of some 16,000 buses and used to ferry over 65 lakh people per day, before operations got curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to its losses increasing sharply.

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