RTC strike turns violent at many places

By Our Staff Reporter

RAJAHMUNDRY, OCT. 22. There was a ding-dong battle for about 150 minutes at the RTC bus station here on Monday with the RTC management trying to operate some services with police escort and the striking workers, supported by the local MLA, Mr.Jakkampudi Ramamohana Rao, and activists of left parties not allowing a single bus to come out of the bus station.

This resulted in grievous injuries to one driver and arrest of more than 100 persons including the MLA and the secretary of the CPI unit Mr. M. Satyanarayana. The condition of the injured driver, Mr.Y.S.Manyam, who was admitted to the Government hospital here, was stated to be serious. The striking workers attacked three drivers who were brought to operate RTC buses. Seeing this, other drivers-ten in number- ran away. The irate agitators deflated tyres of some buses and smashed the glasspanes of a bus.

Earlier, the police physically removed the workers who squatted at the entry gate to prevent any bus from coming out. Seeing that the MLA was being taken away through another gate, the striking workers, who were dumped into the police van, jumped out of it and blocked the road to prevent the van carrying Mr. Ramamohana Rao from being taken to the police station.

Our Staff Reporter in Eluru writes: Tension prevailed at Veeravasaram village in West Godavari district following a clash between striking RTC employees and ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) activists in the area.

The employees supported by the CPI-M affiliated Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) pulled out a man from a bus engaged by the authorities. He was even assaulted.

In the meantime, a group of local TDP workers entered the scene in defence of the efforts by the APSRTC to deploy private persons for running bus services. A direct confrontation ensued between the protesters and TDP workers. The police arrested seven strikers and the activists from the CITU.

Attempts of the authorities to engage private persons for operating RTC bus services reportedly proved counter- productive in certain areas in the district. Those engaged to drive buses are said to be used to drive only light vehicles like taxis and Matador vehicles.

The police arrested 274 agitators and pro-strikers from the opposition parties in the district while preventing the movement of RTC services.

Employees lathicharged

According to a report from Ongole, seven RTC workers were injured, one of them seriously, when the police resorted to a lathicharge before the Kandukur RTC depot in Prakasam district.

The seriously inured, Mr. Chennaiah, conductor was admitted to the local hospital. The police booked non-bailable cases against 37 persons.

Police resorted to the lathicharge when the agitating RTC workers tried to prevent buses from coming out of the depot.

Later, RTC workers staged a rasta roko protesting against the lathicharge.

At Nellore police arrested nearly 30 functionaries of various parties, including the town Congress M.L.A., Mr. Anam Vivekananda Reddy, for allegedly deflating the tyres of buses and obstructing their movement near Atmakur bus station. According to the Superintendent of Police, Mr. K. Srinivasa Reddy, the M.L.A. and others were given station bail. He said that 10 striking employees were arrested at Vakadu and another 10 workers at Kavali.

Till 5 p.m. 32 hired buses and 68 RTC buses had moved out of the RTC complex to different villages of Nellore town, according to Mr. B. Sitaram, Regional Manager. Apart from willing drivers of the RTC, those from the Police Department, the Lorry Association and drivers deputed by Transport Department were pressed into service. Temporary recruitment was also going on.

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Section  : Southern States
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