Employees performing duty to receive March salaries today: KSRTC

As the ongoing strike by the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) entered its fifth day on Sunday, the corporation stated that the employees who are performing their duties despite being instigated and threatened by their co-workers to go on strike, will receive their March salaries today.

A notice issued by the KSRTC on Sunday said, "Our dedicated employees performed duty even though there is a lot of instigation and threat for their life by the co workers, those employee's March salary will be released tomorrow."

It further said that the student passes and monthly passes shall be provided till the period of the strike.

The KSRTC in the notice also stated that it will not consider requests for inter corporation transfers of employees who are instigating, threatening colleagues for the strike and are hindering bus services, thereby causing inconvenience to the public.

"The miscreant employees who are already working in the division with request transfers will be resend it to their original depot/division," the notice said.

It further informed that the total number of first information reports (FIRs) registered in different police stations since April 7, 201, till Sunday was 22 in connection with the misconduct of 14 employees, adding that two employees were also arrested.

A total of 14 buses were damaged till Sunday in incidents during the strike, including stone-pelting on two buses in Mangaluru, said the KSRTC in the notice.

It stated that as of Sunday, a total of 2663 buses operated (including night out buses) from all the four corporations.

552 KRTC buses operated to Tamil Nadu (Chennai, Ooty, Pudukottai, Madurai, Kumbakonam, Chidambaram, Tanjavoor, Salem), 342 buses to Andhra Pradesh (Tirupati, Vijayawada, Srikalahasthi, Nellore, Rayadurga, Manthralaya), 39 to Telangana (Hyderabad, Secunderabad) and 32 to Kerala (Ernakulam, Cannanoor, Kozhikode, Kasargod, Thrissur) on Sunday, it added.

With the stalemate between the government and employees of the four transport corporations in the state, over their demand for wages as per the 6th Pay Commission continuing, the majority of workers did not turn up for work, resulting in buses remaining off-road, affecting commuters.

The Corporation has been warning employees about continuing with the strike and has started taking actions against trainee employees and issuing notice for absence from work.

The KSRTC on Saturday ordered transfers of 73 drivers and conductors, four traffic supervisory staff and 11 mechcal staff for allegedly instigating other employees to go on strike.

( With inputs from ANI )