RTC workers strike in Karnataka enters ninth day, bus services hit
Bengaluru: The indefinite strike called by the employees of road transport corporations in Karnataka over wage related issue entered its ninth day on Thursday, continuing to affect bus services across the state.
With a stalemate between the government and employees of four transport corporations in the state, over their demand for wages as per the 6th Pay Commission continuing, majority workers did not turn up for work, resulting in buses remaining off road, affecting commuters.
Aimed at intensifying their protest, the striking employees have decided to stage a candlelight protest on Thursday evening.
They have also planned to approach all the MLAs to urge them to raise their issue at the government-level.
Amid threats of tough action, "no work no pay", few RTC employees have returned to work and are operating buses on some routes in the city and different parts of the state.
Pegging the revenue loss at Rs 152 crore with buses belonging to all the four RTCs not running, Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi, who also holds Transport portfolio, last evening said over 3,200 buses were operating so far, as employees were returning to work on the request of the government.
He also appealed to employees not to listen to vested interests who are instigating for the strike and to get back to work.
Savadi in his statement had also said that a total of 60 buses belonging to all the four RTCs were damaged so far by miscreants in the name of protests as he condemned the act.
Some Volvo buses have been damaged, he said, adding that police have started taking action against those involved.
The government has made it clear that it was not possible to implement the sixth pay commission for the RTC employees, and had ruled out any talks with them.
RTCs that have been warning employees against continuing with the strike, have started taking action against trainee and probationary employees by dismissing them for absence from work and not responding to notice.
Private buses, mini buses, maxi cabs and other passenger transport vehicles, whom authorities have roped in to manage the crisis and help commuters, were seen providing services to passengers in different parts of the city and the state.
Metro, autos and cabs were also being largely used for commuting within the city.
Citing inconvenience caused to the public and that the strike was against provisions of the industrial disputes act, the Labour department last week had issued an order banning the strike, and had referred the dispute to the industrial tribunal, Bengaluru for adjudication.
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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.
