ONLY 339 suspended Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) employees resumed work in the past three days, after Transport Minister Anil Parab appealed to the striking staffers to join duty on Friday. Parab had given an ultimatum to the striking staffers to resume their duty by Monday and had assured that the suspension of the staffers will be revoked immediately once they resume work. The MSRTC has so far suspended 10,180 workers and terminated the services of 2,029 staffers for participating in the strike. The MSRTC strike entered its 48th day on Monday. The MSRTC workers have been on strike since October 27, demanding the merger of the MSRTC with the state government with the hope of getting the benefits of being government employees. Almost all 250 bus depots in the state have been shut since November 9 till recently almost paralyzing the public transport services in the interior parts of the state. "On Monday, of the 92,266 staffers, 21,370 staffers reported duty while 68,178 staffers remained on strike. Till 6pm on Monday, 2,639 bus services were completed, while of the 250 bus depots, 125 depots were partially functional," said an official.
