HC Orders JAC Unions To Discuss Only On 21 Demands Sans Merger

Hyderabad, Oct.28 (Maxim News): The High Court today ordered the TSRTC employees’ JAC leaders to once again hold talks with the State government over the 21 demands, excluding the demand of merger of RTC with the State government. The court adjourned the case to October 29 at 2.30 pm.

The High Court delivered its verdict after the first round of talks between the State government and the TSRTC JAC that failed on October 26. Additional Advocate General of the RTC said the JAC leaders forced the management to hold the talks on all their demands, including merger of TSRTC with the State government and the JAC leaders declined to discuss over the 21 demands as suggested by the HC and walked out of the meeting abruptly. It also reminded the two parties that no problem could be solved in an overnight.

Responding to this, the court asked the JAC unions as to why they didn’t discuss over the 21 demands, excluding the merger demand. The Court asked the trade unions to ignore the merger demand and discuss over the remaining 21 demands which will not have burden on the TSRTC, otherwise both the RTC employees and people will be facing problems. The Court also questioned the JAC leaders as to how the merger of RTC will be possible overnight to State government.

On the other hand, TSRTC JAC advocate Prakash said the RTC officials had misinterpreted the High Court’s directives in the negotiations. RTC officials made it clear that they would discuss only about 21 demands and not other demands.

Presenting the arguments, the counsel for the employees union told the court that there was nothing wrong in discussing all the demands, irrespective of the fact that whether the RTC management would solve them or not. He also told the court that the corporation was incurring losses to the tune of Rs 2.5 crore every day due subsidy bus passes . He also told the court that the arrears of reimbursement and GHMC to the corporation stood at a staggering Rs 4967 crore .

This has prompted the court to ask the union leaders to be logical while making their demands to the state government. Arguing the case on behalf of the government the additional advocate General told the court that the committee constituted by the state government had studied 21 demands made by the employees and added that our of the 21 demands 16 were linked with money. He also told the court that the financial condition of the corporation was not sound to fulfil those demands.

This has prompted the court to express its anger over the non submission of the Report of the committee while wondering as to how such reports were being kept away from the court. Referring to a submission of the court in its report that four of the 21 demands of the employees needed Rs 46 crore, it opined that the problem would be solved albeit on temporary basis if they were met by the state government.

However , the AAG told the court that the State government would not give the stated amount to the corporation prompting the court to warn the counsel of summoning the Chief Secretary to the court on the issue. (Maxim News)

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