Karnataka DCM Laxman Savadi rules out talks with transport corporation workers
Bengaluru, Apr 19: Ruling out talks with the workers of road transport corporations (RTC) whose strike completed the 13th day on Monday, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi appealed to them to resume work.
Stating that it was not right to go on strike as the State is reeling under the COVID-19 pandemic, Savadi, holding the transport portfolio, warned those instigating or creating fear among employees who have returned or willing to return to work.
The employees of the four transport corporations have been keeping off work demanding wages as per the 6th Pay Commission recommendations.
Noting that employees were slowly returning to work, Savadi, in a statement, said over 7,000 RTC buses were operating and some private buses were plying to cater to the public.
He said over 110 buses have been damaged in stone-hurling in the name of strike, causing loss to the RTCs.
"Today too, three KSRTC buses were stoned and two employees, who were coming to duty, were assaulted. This is condemnable. The government will not tolerate such goondas," he said, adding that those indulging in such acts and causing fear among employees or instigating them would be punished.
Rejecting reports of talks between government and the RTC employees, Savadi said, "The Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has himself ruled out talks and asked them to get back to work."
He dismissed as false the claims made by some leaders of RTC employees to the media that talks have been held with Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
Bommai too issued a statement clarifying that he had only requested Kodihalli Chandrashekhar, honorary president of the Karnataka State Road Transport Employees League, who met him this morning, to withdraw the strike in the interest of the people.
"I had only requested them to withdraw strike and get back to work. No assurance was given regarding the Pay Commission.
I have only said that I would bring their demand to the notice of the Chief Minister and Transport Minister," he said.
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
