‘False rumours led to prolonged strike’
The Hindu
Sharad Pawar intervenes, says MSRTC strike has seriously affected rural commuters
Stating that commuters across Maharashtra had been gravely hit by the strike called by staffers of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said that ‘false rumours’ spread about the alleged high-handed attitude of the Maharashtra government towards the agitators had needlessly prolonged the strike.
“The MSRTC employees strike has been dragging for over two months now… It is better not to describe the condition of the passengers in this period. To add to our woes, the State is in the grip of a third wave of the pandemic owing to the Omicron variant. All this is taking a toll on the State’s economy. So, I appeal to the agitating employees to think of the welfare of passengers and resume duties,” said Mr. Pawar, speaking in Mumbai.
In a bid to break the stalemate between the agitators and the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, the NCP chief mediated between the government and representatives of 22 labour unions representing the MSRTC employees. A meeting between Mr. Pawar, State Transport Minister Anil Parab and these representatives was held on Monday.