The Telangana government’s talks with the TGSRTC Joint Action Committee (JAC) leaders concluded on a positive note, paving the way for the withdrawal of the three-day strike that had disrupted public transport across the state. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka announced that the government has decided to grant an 11 percent fitment to RTC employees and take steps to address their key demands.
He further stated that a committee comprising government officials and representatives of trade unions will be constituted to examine the long-pending issue of RTC employees’ merger with the government. The government has also agreed to hold recognition union elections, while other pending issues will be resolved through discussions between RTC management and employees’ unions.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar confirmed that the marathon discussions held from Friday 11 am till midnight resulted in a breakthrough, leading to the formal end of the strike. He announced that RTC bus services will resume from the first shift on Saturday, restoring normalcy in public transport across Telangana.
Earlier, before the talks began, ministers and JAC leaders paid tributes to RTC driver Shankar Goud, who recently died by suicide, observing a two-minute silence in his memory. The government also announced an ex gratia of ₹10 lakh for the bereaved family, along with an Indiramma house and a government job for one eligible family member, expressing solidarity with the deceased worker’s family.