Karnataka Bus Strike: Transport staff to go on hunger strike, travel to take a hit

Bengaluru, Feb 19: The plans of thousands of passengers, to visit their native places in Karnataka for the long weekend, might go awry as thousands of employees of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation are going on a strike on Thursday.

The Bengaluru Metropolition Transport Corporation, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, North East Road Transport Road Corporation and North West Road Transport Corporation have called for an indefinite hunger strike demanding a statement by the government in the budget the regarding treating transport corporation workers on par with state government employees.

The protesting drivers and conductors attached to the four transport corporations will head to Freedom Park to Freedom Park pressing for their demand.

Veteran activist and writer Patil Puttapppa has extended support for the strike.

While the demand for making the staff of transport corporations government employees has been around for many years, it gained momentum after the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) workers staged a 52-day massive protest demanding the merger of the corporation with the government.

During the 52 days of the strike, two employees committed suicide, while more than twenty have died from heart attack and other health issues that were directly blamed on stress relating to the loss of work.

Reportedly, 24,000 buses plying through all the four transport corporations on a daily basis. While the BMTC, with a fleet of over 6000 buses, has an employee strength of 36,000 workers, the KSRTC has 30,000 employees.

In NEKRSTC there are 24,000 employees and in NWKSRTC there are 24,000 employees and in NWKSRTC the employee strength is 30,000.