Hyderabad, May 6, 2025 — Public transportation across Telangana is expected to come to a standstill from Tuesday as over 40,000 Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) employees prepare to launch an indefinite strike. With more than 6,000 buses likely to be pulled off the roads, the state’s commuters are bracing for significant inconvenience in the days ahead.
The strike, spearheaded by the TGSRTC Joint Action Committee (JAC) and supported by multiple employee unions, arises from long-standing demands that workers claim have gone unaddressed. Central to their protest is the demand for the promised merger of the TGSRTC with the state government—an assurance given during the 2023 election campaign by the current administration.
Core Demands at the Heart of the Protest
Among the 23 demands raised by the striking unions are:
- Merger with the Government: Employees seek the full integration of the TGSRTC workforce into the state government system to ensure long-term job security and benefits parity.
- Pending Wage and Benefit Dues: Workers are pressing for the immediate release of outstanding salary revisions and retirement benefits dating back several years.
- Job Security Amid Transition to Electric Buses: The introduction of private agencies to manage electric bus fleets has fueled anxiety among existing staff, who fear job displacement.
- Improved Working Conditions: Protests also highlight concerns over excessive work hours, understaffing, and non-compliance with transport labor laws.
Government’s Appeal and Response
State Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar has urged workers to call off the strike, citing the current financial limitations faced by the TGSRTC. He stressed that while the government is open to discussions, it has already taken several steps to support employees, including:
- Accelerating recruitment for vacant posts through compassionate appointments
- Initiating upgrades to healthcare facilities for RTC staff
- Partially settling pending allowances and provident fund arrears
- Adding new buses to strengthen the fleet
Despite these efforts, union leaders argue that fundamental promises—especially the merger—remain unfulfilled, making the strike inevitable.
Public Impact and Concerns
With a large chunk of the state’s transport system at risk of shutting down, passengers—particularly students, daily wage earners, and office-goers—are expected to be the worst affected. The strike is also likely to strain private transportation services, with increased demand anticipated from Tuesday onwards.
Historical Context
This isn’t the first large-scale strike by RTC workers. In 2019, a similar protest lasted for over 50 days, drawing attention to systemic issues within the corporation. Although partial commitments were made then, union leaders claim many of those issues persist today, now compounded by inflation and operational changes.
As the deadline nears, all eyes are on last-minute negotiations between the government and union leaders to avert a full-scale public transport crisis in Telangana. Whether dialogue can defuse the situation remains to be seen.
