NASHIK: ST buses, which were off duty for the past many days due to the strike of ST employees, finally hit the road yesterday ready to serve the passengers. Buses arrived in Nashik city from several depots yesterday morning. Commuters are happy to witness ST buses (Lalpari) resume service on city roads.
A meeting between the ST workers union and Transport Minister Anil Parab and NCP chief Sharad Pawar was held recently. At the meeting, the union called on the workers to return to work. However, many employees are still adamant on the issue of mergers with the state government.
Therefore, despite the union’s appeal, the employees have not returned to work. ST is now functioning with the police force, contract workers and other employees who have joined the service, the waiting list workers, and retired workers. Many buses from Satana, Malegaon, Yeola, Nandgaon, Niphad and Nagar districts arrived in Nashik yesterday.
As a result, many roads, including the CBS area, were crowded following the resumption of services. Passengers who have been paying an extra fare to private carriers for the last two months have expressed satisfaction over the resumption of services.
Yesterday, the ST Corporation transferred 247 employees to the state. So far, 2,722 employees have been fired. 11,024 employees have been suspended, and the corporation has issued notice to 4,905 employees. Out of 250 depots in the state, 37 are closed completely. 213 depot partitions were running yesterday, and 25,974 employees showed up for work.
