From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Dec 14: The four-day-old strike by the employees of the Karnataka State Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and the other regional transport corporations in State as well as the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) was finally called off after the B S Yediyurappa-led BJP Government agreed to concede almost all the major demands of the striking employees, thereby bringing a sigh of relief to the commuters.

With pro-farmer leader Kodihalli Chandrashekar, who has plunged himself in the leadership role of the State Transport Corporation employees angering H V Anantha Subba Rao, President of the Federation of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporations Employees, held wide-ranging talks with the State Government announced the decision to withdraw the strike after Deputy Chief Minister and Transport Minister Laxman Savadi, gave a written assurance on implementing nine out of the ten demands of the striking employees.

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Skeleton services of BMTC resumed operations from different parts of the city while buses belonging to KSRTC and the other three regional transport corporations are expected to start services by evening not only within the state but even to other states.

There will be regular full-fledged services from Tuesday morning, Kodihalli Chandrashekar said.

Apart from Laxman Savadi, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had also held talks with the leaders of the striking employees last night and appealed for withdrawal of the strike in the interest of the commuters.

Kodihalli Chandrashekar, however, made it clear that the employees will not remain silent merely with the written assurance from the Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi. “We will wait for three months before deciding the next course of action,’’ he declared.

While the demand for treating all the employees of the State Transport Corporations as government employees had not been conceded, the State Government has announced that all the employees of the state bus transport corporations will be covered by Arogya Bhagya Insurance Scheme.

The State Government has also announced that the dependents of the employees of the state bus transport corporations, who die on account of COVID 19 pandemic while on duty, will be granted compensation of Rs 30 lakh.

Another demand that was conceded by the State Government was with regard to reviewing the policy of transfer of the employees of one corporation to another along with the system of ‘’not issued not collected’’ (NIIC) and reduction of the training period of new recruits from two years to one year.

The State Government has agreed to introduce HRMS for the employees. However, the other major demand with regard to wage revision has not been immediately accepted with the government offering to consider the demand based on the recommendations of the sixth pay commission.