Hearing on the House Motion Petition (HMP) by TDP leader C L Venkat Rao, the High Court gave an interim direction that the striking employees should get back to work immediately, but the striking staff says that they need not call off the strike as they have not yet received the interim order

Hyderabad: The RTC strike is taking many turns and twists. While the transport services remained almost crippled on the fourth day of strike by the employees of the Road Transport Corporation in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana States, the High Court gave an interim direction that the striking employees should get back to work immediately.

Hearing on the House Motion Petition (HMP) by TDP leader C L Venkat Rao on Saturday on the ongoing RTC strike, the High Court directed the striking staff to resume duties and adjourned the case to May 12 for further hearing. The court opined that the strike was not proper on the part of RTC workers.

But the RTC employees say that they need not call off the strike as they have not yet received the interim order of the court. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu who reviewed the strike is understood to have pulled up the RTC MD Sambasiva Rao for the remarks he had made at the meeting on Friday.

Naidu told Rao that his remarks that he would not take up the cause of Telangana employees was unfortunate and does not behove a senior officer. Naidu directed the Cabinet subcommittee to convene a meeting with RTC employees on Sunday and try to resolve the issue amicably.

On the other hand Telangana RTC employees unions are pinning their hopes on Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao. Addressing a media conference, Employees Union (EU) general secretary K Padmakar Rao, Telangana Mazdoor Union (TMU) general secretary Ashwatthama Reddy said.

“Harish Rao is the honorary president of TMU and they are looking forward towards Rao to take the initiative and resolve the issue.” With no let up in the strike by the RTC unions, The RTC management on the other hand wooing the contract employees, who reported for duties, by issuing regularisation orders.