The number of buses coming out of the APSRTC depots is on the rise as on Sunday with the management pulling out all the stops in resolving the issue. The recognised Employees Union and the Telangana Mazdoor Union are firm on their demand of 43 per cent wage hike.
By Sunday noon, there were 60 per cent of scheduled services operated in Andhra Pradesh, while it was 37 per cent in Telangana, according to Joint Managing Director G.V. Ramana Rao. Asked about how many conductors and drivers working on contract had reported for work and been given regularisation orders, he said the trickle had started and that they were hopeful of a sizeable number joining duty in the next 24 hours to 36 hours.
Meanwhile, senior officials of the APSRTC management from AP and Telangana operations in the corporation were busy with a series of meetings. At 4 p.m., Managing Director Nanduri Sambasiva Rao is slated to make a presentation on the way forward, to the AP Cabinet Sub-Committee comprising Sidda Raghava Rao (Transport) Y. Ramakrishnudu (Finance) and K. Atchan Naidu (Labour).
On behalf of Telangana, Ministers P. Mahender Reddy (Transport), Etala Rajender (Finance) and Naini Narsimha Reddy (Home & Labour) will hold discussions at 6 p.m., in Bus Bhavan, the corporate office of the corporation, with Joint Managing Director G.V. Ramana Rao and representatives of the TMU – President V. Tirupati and General Secretary E. Aswadhama Reddy.
Meanwhile, South Central Railway operated eight special trains of the Multi-Modal Transit Service on the Secunderabad-Lingampalli sector from 9.15 a.m. onwards on Sunday in view of the APSRTC strike. It also ran four Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) specials on Kacheguda-Nizamabad and Malkajgiri-Miryalguda sectors.
This apart, SCR announced two specials between Hyderabad and Kakinada Port on May 11 and 12. Accordingly, no. 07053 will leave here at 11.40 p.m. on May 11 (Monday), to reach its destination at 1.55 p.m. the next day.
In the return direction, no. 07054 will leave Kakinada Port at 3.30 p.m. on May 12 (Tuesday) and reach Hyderabad at 5.15 a.m. the next day.
Enroute, these specials will stop at Secunderabad, Nalgonda, Miryalguda, Nadikude, Piduguralla, Sattanapalle, Guntur, Mangalgiri, Vijayawada, Gudivada, Kaikaluru, Akivedu, Bhimavaram Town, Tanuku, Nidadavolu, Kovuru, Rajahmundry, Dwarapudi, Samalkot and Kakinada Town stations, said a railway release.
