MSRTC employees launch state-wide strike ahead of Ganesh festival; 35 of 250 bus depots shut

 Mumbai: Ahead of the Ganesh festival, the bus services of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) got disrupted on Tuesday in most parts of Maharashtra, as a large section of its employees launched a strike over salary-related and other demands, officials said.

  Due to the strike launched by the action committee of 11 trade unions starting midnight, the bus services of the state-run corporation were completely stopped at 35 out of the MSRTC’s 250 bus depots across the state, a spokesperson of the corporation said.

 “Other depots are either fully or partially operational,” he said. The strike will create problems for the people who wish to travel to their native places for the 10-day Ganesh festival, which is celebrated on a large scale in the state.

 The Maharashtra State Transport (ST) Kamgar Sanyukta Kruti Samiti (joint action committee) began this strike over salary-related issues of employees, after talks with the state government failed last month.  The action committee is demanding a salary for the staffers on par with that of the state government employees.

The MSRTC spokesperson said that the bus services in the Mumbai division were not affected, but were partially hit in neighbouring Thane division.

 “The bus operations are running smoothly in all the depots in Mumbai division. However, Kalyan, Vitthalwadi depots in Thane are completely shut,” he said.

Barring Vidarbha region in eastern Maharashtra, the strike has affected the bus operations in other regions of the state.

 Several depots are completely shut in Pune and Nashik districts, causing hardships to the commuters. Ganapati is one of the biggest festivals in Maharashtra, especially in the coastal Konkan region.

 The MSRTC had earlier planned to operate 5,000 extra ‘Ganapati special’ buses in the region between September 3 and 7, the first day of the festival, from Mumbai, Thane and Palghar divisions.

The MSRTC is one of the largest public transport corporations in the country with a fleet of around 15,000 buses and a workforce of 90,000.

As  more than 60 lakh passengers are ferried by the ST buses, this service is also called the lifeline of Maharashtra.

 In October 2021, thousands of MSRTC workers went on an indefinite strike demanding that they be treated on par with state government employees and that the cash-strapped transport corporation be merged with the government.

 The strike continued for several months, causing inconvenience to people. Finally, the Bombay High Court stepped in and directed the protesting workers to resume duties by April 15, 2022.