The state road transport corporations (RTC) continued to crack the whip on their workers whose strike entered its fourth day on Saturday, disrupting weekend travel ahead of the Ugadi festival.
The BMTC said it has dismissed 118 trainee and probationary employees, in addition to 216 personnel sacked over the last two days for violating the terms and conditions of their contract.
The BMTC also issued notice to 1,772 employees who have completed 55 years of age, seeking their fitness certificate. Failing to submit the certificate will lead to forcible retirement, the corporation added.
The KSRTC sent 88 personnel, including drivers, conductors, and traffic supervisory staff on punishment transfer for allegedly threatening employees not to report to duties.
The NWKRTC and NEKRTC have also issued notices to trainees and probationers and are expected to take stern action against those who fail to turn up for work.
Meanwhile, the number of RTC employees resuming work increased as the corporations succeeded in running more buses on Saturday. By 6 pm, the four corporations had operated 1,467 buses, up from 855 buses operated on Friday.
However, for lakhs of commuters who were traveling home for the long weekend combined with the Ugadi festival holiday on April 13, the absence of the corporation buses caused much inconvenience.
The fares charged by private buses remained costly as the government failed to regulate the same for a fourth continuous day. A senior official said the dependency on private players has made it difficult to take tough decisions.
Published 10 April 2021, 16:26 IST