5th T’ gana RTC staffer kills self

HYDERABAD: Another employee of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) killed himself by consuming pesticide in Mahabubabad district on Wednesday, the 40th day of an indefinite strike by RTC employees across the state.

This is the fifth suicide by an RTC worker in the past month. Employees of the state-owned transporter have been on strike demanding a revision of salaries pending since April 2017 and recruitment to vacant posts.

Mahabubabad police said Avula Naresh, 45, a driver at the local RTC depot, ended his life by consuming pesticide because of financial troubles. “He was rushed to the local area hospital, where he died while undergoing treatment,” superintendent of police Nandyala Koti Reddy said.

Naresh left a suicide note in which he wrote that he was committing suicide because of financial problems caused by non-payment of his salary. Holding Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao responsible for his death, he appealed to Rao to ensure justice to the families of RTC employees.

“My death should be the last one among the RTC employees. No other employee should face the kind of difficulties I have ben facing. Our family could not celebrate Diwali and we had no food and no new clothes for the festival. I sincerely wish at least after seeing my death, the chief minister will solve our demands,” police quoted Naresh’s suicide note as saying.

Naresh, who belonged to Yellampet village in Maripeda block, was working as a driver in RTC since 2007. He was actively participating in the ongoing strike. He is survived by his wife Poolamma and two school-going sons. “Poolamma has been suffering from an illness for the last five years and

Naresh was spending ~5,000 on her medicines every month. Added to this, the expenses on his children’s education caused a huge burden on him. Since he had not been getting a salary for the last two months, Naresh was under tremendous stress,” one of his colleagues in Mahabubabad depot told reporters.

On learning about Naresh’s death, a large number of RTC workers and activists of political parties gathered at the hospital and raised slogans against the government. They tried to take out a rally with Naresh’s body, but police blocked their attempt.

Transport minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar and principal secretary (transport) Sunil Sharma were not available for comment; they were in a meeting.

Chairman of the Telangana Joint Action Committee of RTC Employees’ Unions E Ashwathama Reddy, said it was unfortunate that the government was not following court directions.