‘Can’t merge MSRTC with state govt as per 3-member panel’

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday informed the Bombay High court that it is not possible to merge the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) with the state government.

Government counsel SC Naidu informed a division bench of Chief Justice (CJ) Dipankar Datta and Justice MS Karnik that the threemember committee had recommended that merging of the MSRTC with the state government was not feasible. The government has approved the recommendation as it was financially unviable to merge the transport corporation.

However, Naidu said that they have accepted the demand for a pay hike by the workers.

The HC is hearing a contempt petition filed by MSRTC after its workers went on strike from November 3-4 midnight last year to press their demand that they be treated as par with the state government employees.

Aspi Chenoy, counsel for MSRTC, said that the transport corporation has decided to proceed with departmental inquiry and action against those workers who have refused to resume work despite repeated requests.

Hence he sought the permission to withdraw the contempt plea.

The judges, however, said that they have been hearing the issue for nearly six months now and, hence, would like to hear what the workers have to say on the government’s final decision. Advocate Gunaratan Sadavarte, appearing for the workers, was not present for the hearing on Tuesday and hence the court kept the matter for hearing on Wednesday.

Earlier, MSRTC advocate GS Hegde had said that of the 82,000 workers, 28,000 have resumed work. He further said that the students in the interior Maharashtra were facing hardship as the schools have reopened fully and they depend primarily on the state transport buses.

The MSRTC had also assured the HC that if the workers were to resume duty immediately, it would not take any action, including criminal action against those employees.

The judges said that they have been hearing the issue for nearly six months and, hence, would like to hear what the workers have to say on the govt’s final decision