Hyderabad: High Court today said that stay on privatization decision of bus routes will continue and posted the RTC case to decide whether it was illegal or not to Tuesday.
Even as the RTC employees stormed residences of ministers, TRS MLAs and MPs for merger demand and for talks, they demanded that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao should call for talks on merger and other demands to call off the strike. The court said TSRTC, a public utility, does not come under Essential Services Act.
Representing the government, Chief Secretary SK Joshi submitted to the court details on privatization decision and others on RTC row. He said the ailing RTC needs a total of Rs 2,209 crore and Rs 47 crore is meagre. He appealed to the court to announce the RTC strike as illegal under Industries Disputes Act for avoiding talks in the middle.
The court adjourned the case to Tuesday and said that stay will continue on routes privatization till the case was resolved. The government said the RTC faces burden of a total of Rs 2,209 crore, including payments, loans and losses. The government submitted the details of 18 issues on the RTC strike, cabinet decision to privatize 5,100 bus routes, arrears, loans, financial situation, loss due to illegal strike and others.
As the RTC employees went on strike amidst talks, he appealed to the court to consider the RTC workers strike as not legal. The court said it would hear RTC crew salaries case on Thursday.