Alka Verma –
Published On: November 09, 2021 at 11:00 IST
The Bombay High Court ordered the Maharashtra Government to form a Special Committee to look into the problems of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) employees and to address them.
The direction came in the middle of a strike conducted by MSRTC employees wherein the employees are not reporting for duty demanding merger of the MSRTC with the State Government.
A Vacation Bench comprising Justices S J Kathawalla and S P Tawade made the directions while it was hearing a plea filed by the MSRTC against the strike.
The Court during the hearing ordered the formation of a Committee and also ordered the Committee to take responses from the concerned parties and submit the recommendations of Uddhav Thackeray, Maharashtra Chief Minister.
“The Chief Minister, State of Maharashtra, will consider the recommendations and submit the same to the court with his views/opinion on the said recommendations,” stated the Bench.
The High Court also ordered a three-member Committee, comprising Additional Chief Secretaries of State Finance and Transport Departments and Principal Secretary of the Finance Department.
“The MSRTC’s managing director shall act as a coordinator and assist the committee, but he shall have no powers in the decision-making. The committee shall hear representatives of the 28 unions and representatives of the MSRTC,” added the Bench.
Adding to this, the Bench also stated that, “The entire exercise shall be completed within a period of 12 weeks from today.”
During the hearing, Advocate Gunaratan Sadavarte, who was appearing for the MSRTC workers, stated that this strike is not going to end until the Government Resolution is issued and the first meeting is held.
However, the Court also noted that the workers violated Court’s orders which were issued last week to end the strike and go back to work.
Last month employees of MSRTC, which is one of the biggest state transport corporations in the county, started a strike over various demands, including problems related to salary.
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