'Topless' SRTC workers demand wages

Jammu, Sep 8 (UNI) Fighting for their long pending wages, the Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) employees today marched topless on the city roads in protest against the state government's apathy.

Meanwhile, the inter-state transport service remained paralysed on the sixth consecutive day as the entire SRTC fleet remained stantioned at workshops across the region.

Shouting anti-government slogans, the employees paraded semi-naked from the SRTC Head Office at Bikram Chowk and marched on the busy city roads, demanding pending wages and compensation to the families of their colleagues, who had died of ''acute depression'' due to miserable financial situation.

The state government had invited the representatives of the SRTC employees to hold talks but it was turned down with the demand that authorities should come to Jammu and listen to plight of the workers.

The striking employees' unions of the corporation turned down the invitation of the state government to discuss their issues at Srinagar, demanding the authorities should hold meeting with them at Jammu.

''We have been forced to take off clothes and staged 'topless' demonstration against the government decision to express anguish,''' said Amrik Singh Sassan, Chairman, SRTC Employees Federation.

The Corporation employees in Kashmir region were also supporting the striking colleagues in Jammu region, he informed.

UNI