Telangana RTC Strike Ends, Buses Resume Saturday

The three-day strike by employees of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation ended late Friday night after marathon negotiations at the state secretariat in Hyderabad, restoring bus services for millions of daily commuters starting Saturday.

The Joint Action Committee of RTC workers reached an agreement with a government team led by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka following more than seven hours of talks that stretched past midnight. The government accepted key demands, including an 11 percent pay revision commission hike, elections for recognized unions, and formation of a committee with officials and employee representatives to examine the long-pending merger of the RTC with the state government framework. Officials said 29 to 31 of the 32 demands raised by unions were addressed or accepted in principle, with management directed to continue discussions on the rest. TGSRTC Vice Chairman and Managing Director Y. Nagi Reddy confirmed operations would resume from the first shift on Saturday.

Deputy Chief Minister Vikramarka announced the outcome around 1 a.m., stating, "RTC is like our family. It is saddening that we lost a member of our family. The people's...