This year's Diwali has turned out to be a dark one for the striking Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) employees due to non-payment of salaries for the month of September to them by the government.
Ramchander Rao, MLC, speaking to said: "It is very unfortunate that the Telangana State Transport Corporation has entered the 23rd day of agitation. The government is not at all bothered about solving the issues. The RTC employees have not celebrated Dussehra and now it is the same for Diwali. They do not have money to feed their children because they did not receive the salaries for the month of September."
Thomas Reddy, TSRTC Joint Action Committee (JAC) Vice President, speaking to said: "Yesterday on the 23rd day of the strike all the family members of RTC employees were fasting and several were assembled at the bus depot on the occasion of Diwali. They did not buy any new clothes for their children to celebrate Diwali as they have not received their salaries for the month of September. It is the 28th day of October today and most of the employees have no food to eat. We urge the Chief Minister to stop showing this cruel attitude and come down for talks and solve the issue."
He said that 14 employees have lost their lives so far. K Neeraja, a bus conductor at Sathupalli depot committed suicide on Monday. "Srinivas Goud from Khammam and several others committed suicide as they could not take the stress of not getting salaries and losing job. The Chief Minister has no sympathy or humty towards these employees," he added.
Lalitha, wife of a TSRTC employee speaking to said: "We are forced to be on roads as we do not have money to pay rent, no money to light our homes for the brightest festival of the year. We are staying in the dark with no proper food to eat. There are no savings as my husband's salary is only Rs 20,000 with which we and our three children can barely survive."
l, son of an RTC employee Ramesh, said, "I last went to school before the Dussehra holidays. I had to stop going thereafter as my parents could not pay the fees for this term. I did not have new clothes for the festival, all my friends celebrated with great joy. Every year my father gets some crackers, but this time he could not. What is our fault? Every year we eat lots of sweets but this time we had to fast."
Over 49,000 workers have been on strike since October 5, protesting against the state government's order to sack over 40,000 employees of TSRTC.
( With inputs from ANI )