Telangana strike: APSRTC to remove 1,350 drivers, conductors

Public transport has come to a grinding halt in Telangana as APSRTC could not operate its services because of the strike, causing a lot of inconvenience to approximately 84 lakh passengers daily.

APSRTC employees joined the indefinite strike by government employees demanding creation of Telangana state and vowed to skip work till the demand was conceded. However, the APSRTC management, after several rounds of deliberations with government heads, decided to crack the whip against contract workers as a first step to rein in the striking employees, according to a senior official.

APSRTC is the first government wing to axe contract workers taking part in the ongoing indefinite strike, while other departments are reportedly waiting for instructions from the government.

"We will recruit new drivers and conductors on a temporary basis from tomorrow as well as regularise on seniority basis the services of those contract workers who attend work," the official said. APSRTC is keen on operating services at least partially to reduce the hardship for passengers, the official said.

APSRTC is losing a revenue of over Rs seven crore a day because of the strike, pushing the loss-ridden public transporter into further losses, the official added.