Yediyurappa talks tough against KSRTC employees' stir

In a stern message to the striking employees of road transport corporations, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday said the state government was not ready to accept any of their conditions and warned of stringent action against them.

Speaking to reporters in Bidar, the Chief Minister said, "Don't ask me about the transport employees' strike. We will not accept any of their conditions under any circumstances."

Noting that his government had already fulfilled eight of their demands, Yediyurappa said the adamant posture of the employees is causing trouble to the people of the state.

"The employees have to give up their obdurate stand. We will not give salaries to those who remained absent from their job. We will take more stringent action," he added.

Later in the evening, the Chief Minister convened a meeting in Bengaluru where he directed the officials to provide security to those transport employees who are willing to join duty.

He also instructed the police to deploy a constable on each bus.

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Asking officials to take legal action against the transport employees who indulge in violence, Yediyurappa directed them to initiate stringent measures against all those who are on strike.

The strike by the RTC workers on wage-related issues entered the 7th day on Tuesday even as the transport corporations struggled hard to operate buses, which a few miscreants damaged.

According to a Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation official, 2,299 buses including 262 Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses were operated in the state on Tuesday.

The official said 54 buses were damaged allegedly by the employees.

So far, 72 FIRs have been registered in connection with the damage to 36 buses by 10 am Tuesday.

As many as 115 employees were involved in vandalism, of which 19 have been arrested, he said in a statement.

A few bus employees were also attacked in some parts of the state, officials said.