RTC Strike Ends After Deputy CM's Talks

Hyderabad: TGSRTC employees resumed bus services from 3,30 am on Saturday, ending a three‑day strike that had paralysed travel across the state, after the government agreed to all their demands including an 11 per cent hike in the Pay Revision Commission scales. TGSRTC managing director Y. Nagi Reddy said the corporation lost about ₹25 crore each day during the strike.

For three days, nearly 60 lakh commuters faced hardship, forced to rely on costly private operators. Women eligible for the Mahalakshmi zero‑ticket scheme and daily wage earners were among those worst affected. “This gave us great relief. Each day we had to shell out three times more than our usual fare,” said a passenger waiting at a bus stop in the city.

Hyderabad regional manager Sudha Parimala said, “All 1,469 buses in the region operated from 3.30 am.” In Rangareddy district, 483 buses were pressed into service by 2 pm, meeting demand, regional manager J. Sreelatha told Deccan Chronicle.

The ever‑busy Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS), Jubilee Bus Station (JBS), and Ranigunj depots, deserted during the strike, teemed with passengers once services resumed.

This was the second major strike since the formation of Telangana, the first in October 2019 lasting 55 days.

Transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar was congratulated by colleagues for successfully concluding the talks. With weddings scheduled over the weekend, families expressed relief at the timely resumption of services.

RTC JAC members celebrated the breakthrough in talks and expressed its gratitude to the government for providing solutions to long-pending issues that had remained unresolved for decades.