Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady (BG)
Beltangady, Sep 14: "Congress party and I will support the protest organised by KSRTC employees, as it is for a fair demand," said MLA K Vasanth Bangera, here. He was speaking after his visit to Dharmasthala KSRTC unit where 760 employees were on strike.
"The governement is least bothered about the employees' salararies, as all the money is being used to feed the officers and ministers," he alleged.
He added sarcastically, "BJP was pointing at Congress, and commenting that the Congress had done nothing in the past 60 years. BJP leaders have earned stomach full. Suspend those officers who are not paying KSRTC employees and oppressing them; it is because of these employees that KSRTC is running on profit." He also urged the government to listen to the employees' problems.
"KSRTC employess are made to work overtime, without even proper rest. After a bus complets 7.5 lac km, it has to be scraped. But there are more than 45 buses that have run longer distances, but continued to be operational," he said.
"Passes have been issued to nearly 500 students, but only two buses run on that route. Four employees have been booked for protesting," he added.
"A driver named Subhash Chandra has been sent to jail for pelting stones at a bus, but the culprit was someone else."
"A major part of the salary goes into paying fines," the striking employees complained.
The cases that have been booked on the KSRTC employess will be fought free of cost, said lawyer Keshava Belalu, who is also the president of Dharmasthala panchayat.
Chandan Kamath, panchayat ex-president, D Prabhakar Poojary, Surya Prakash and others were also present. Pushparaj Shetty, president, Jaya Karnataka taluk organization also expressed his support to the strike. He urged that their demands be immediately fullfilled and the strike taken back, as it was effecting the public.
College Students in School Bus
The KSRTC buses ran as usual till 10 am, after which they went on strike. In the evening, SDM College students were sent back home by their school buses, as per the orders of the president of institution Dr Hegde.
Majority of the colleges declared holiday. The students who depend on KSRTC buses were effected the most by the strike.
"Try to end the protest even if a single demand on the list is accepted. Don’t harm any public properity and buses as they feed you," MLA Bangera requested the employees.
The visitors to Dharmasthala were also effected. The buses that left to Bangalore, Hassan via Kottigehara, Sakleshpur on Thursday night also had to return.