Hyderabad, Warangal, Nalgonda: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Thursday constituted a group of ministers (GoM) led by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka to hold talks with the TGSRTC Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Friday in an effort to resolve their demands and bring an end to the ongoing indefinite strike, which entered its second day on Thursday.
Revanth Reddy made a strong emotional appeal to RTC employees not to resort to extreme steps, stressing that the government was making sincere efforts to resolve their issues. His appeal came in the wake of three reported suicide attempts by agitating RTC staff from Warangal, Nalgonda and Khammam districts on Thursday. Observing that “suicide is not a solution,” he directed ministers, led by Deputy CM Bhatti, to immediately invite the employee unions for discussions.
Two RTC staffers were in a critical condition after attempting to die by suicide. Kola Shankar Goud, 57, a resident of Narsampet, who had served the corporation for over 30 years, resorted to the extreme step after an argument over the hiring of temporary drivers. He was taken to a hospital and later shifted to Hyderabad in a critical condition.
RTC driver D. Linga Reddy, associated with the Kothagudem RTC depot, attempted to die by suicide in his house at Nayudupeta in Khammam district. His family members rushed him to a hospital.
In Nalgonda, onlookers stopped Ravula Venkanna, a driver with the Miryalaguda depot, from attempting to die by suicide.
The Chief Minister was deeply moved by the reports of the suicide attempts even as the Cabinet meeting was in progress. He directed ministers D. Sridhar Babu, Ponnam Prabhakar, Damodar Rajanarasimha and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy to immediately address a press conference and appeal to RTC staff not to take extreme steps. The four ministers stepped out of the Cabinet meeting hall, addressed the media at the Secretariat with an appeal for restraint, and later rejoined the Cabinet meeting.
The decision to start talks was taken during the Cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister at the Secretariat, where the RTC strike was discussed at length. The Cabinet appealed to RTC staff to withdraw their strike, assuring that the government was ready to hold talks and resolve their long-pending demands through dialogue. It urged employees to exercise restraint, stating that the government had constituted an official committee with a positive intent to address their concerns, and invited union leaders to attend talks under the leadership of the Deputy Chief Minister on Friday.
Addressing the press conference, transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the government bore responsibility for resolving RTC issues and appealed to the workers against taking impulsive decisions. He acknowledged a delay in taking up the matter at the Cabinet level but said a sub-committee of ministers had now been formed to address workers’ concerns. He reiterated that talks with JAC leaders would be held on Friday and dismissed as incorrect the campaign that jobs would be lost due to the introduction of electric buses. He affirmed that the government was committed to the welfare of RTC employees.
IT minister D. Sridhar Babu said the Cabinet had discussed RTC workers’ issues even before taking up the official agenda and urged employees not to act in haste. He termed attempts to take one’s life as deeply distressing and stressed that the present government belonged to the people and RTC workers. He warned against impulsive and instigated actions, urging workers not to attempt suicide in moments of emotional distress and reminding them of their responsibility towards their families. He reiterated that talks with RTC unions would be held on Friday under the Deputy Chief Minister’s leadership.
Health minister Damodar Rajanarasimha said the government was sincere in resolving RTC issues and informed that an RTC employee who attempted suicide was being shifted to Hyderabad for better treatment at Apollo Hospital, Hyderguda. He appealed to workers not to act out of emotion and emphasised that RTC staff were like family members to the government, adding that emotional reactions would not solve problems.
Roads and buildings minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy urged RTC employees not to resort to self-sacrifice, recalling that prolonged agitations in 2019 had led to loss of lives without adequate response from the previous BRS government. He stated that the Congress government had paid `10,000 crore to RTC and highlighted that free bus travel had been introduced for women in Telangana which benefitted RTC.
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