Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has appealed to the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) employees to call off the strike. He stated that a meeting will be held at Sahyadri Guest House at 7 p.m. on Wednesday to discuss a positive resolution to the employees' demands. Shinde urged the employees to reconsider their strike in light of the upcoming Ganeshotsav celebrations and President Droupadi Murmu's visit to Maharashtra.
"Tomorrow, a meeting has been scheduled regarding this matter. Positive discussions will take place in the meeting. However, Ganpati is approaching in the state, and President Draupadi Murmu is in Maharashtra today and tomorrow. With Ganeshotsav nearing, all citizens will be going to the markets for shopping. Therefore, my request and appeal to the ST employees and officers is that you should not go on strike. Through positive discussions, we have resolved many significant issues," Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said.
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MSRTC bus services were disrupted across most of Maharashtra on Tuesday as a significant number of employees went on strike over salary and other demands. The strike, initiated by the action committee of 11 trade unions at midnight, resulted in the complete shutdown of services at 35 out of MSRTC’s 250 depots statewide.
The Maharashtra State Transport Kamgar Sanyukta Kruti Samiti (Joint Action Committee) organized the strike following unsuccessful negotiations with the state government last month. The disruption is expected to affect people traveling to their hometowns for the 10-day Ganesh festival, which is widely celebrated in the state.