The strike by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) employees for salary hike and other demands intensified on the second day on Wednesday, spelling more trouble for the passengers, especially ahead of the Ganesh festival.
However, in order to minimise the impact of the stir, the MSRTC administration is eyeing to hire drivers from outside on a contract basis, officials said.
Demanding salary parity with state government employees and seeking a pay scale adjustment to match that of their counterparts in the state sector, the MSRTC staffers launched the strike on Tuesday.
An MSRTC spokesperson said due to the strike called by the action committee of 11 trade unions, a total of 96 out of the total 251 bus depots are completely shut, 82 partially shut and the remaining 73 are fully operational.
In the morning, 63 bus depots were completely shut, but the figure rose to 96 by afternoon. The count of partially-shut depots also increased from 73 to 82, the official said.
"The strike is spreading fast in Marathwada and North Maharashtra regions, where 26 and 32 depots are completely shut today," he said.
But the Mumbai-Pune premium e-Shivneri bus service is not affected, the official said.
The corporation is planning to hire drivers on long-term contracts and invited bids from manpower supply agencies for qualified drivers who possess licence to drive heavy vehicles with one year experience and public service vehicle badge, which is mandatory for plying public service vehicles like buses, the officials added.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has convened a meeting with MSRTC trade union leaders at the Sahyadri Guest House on Wednesday evening in a bid to resolve the issue.
Due to the strike, passengers across the state are facing inconvenience. Besides the regular services, the operations of the MSRTC's extra Ganesh festival special buses were also affected. The 10-day festival begins on September 7.
A total of 5,000 extra festival special buses, including 4,300 services booked by groups, were scheduled to operate between September 3 and 7 from Mumbai, Thane and Palghar divisions. More than 1,000 such buses were scheduled to depart for Konkan on Wednesday, the officials said.
The MSRTC administration said that an industrial court has declared the strike as illegal and instructed the trade unions and employees to resume work.
The corporation has also instructed local authorities to file FIRs against individuals obstructing employees willing to join duty and video record such incidents.
In response to the strike's impact, the MSRTC is considering the appointment of drivers and other staff on long-term agreements to ensure uninterrupted service.
