Kodandaram, KTR meets Botsa

Telangana Political Joint Action Committee Prof M Kodandaram and TRS MLA K Tarakarama Rao on Wednesday asked the Pradesh Congress Committee president and Transport Minister Botsa Satyanarayana to reinstate the contract employees of the RTC who were sacked on Tuesday for participating in the general strike.

Prof Kodandaram and KTR met the PCC President at his residence on Wednesday stating that the decision of the State Government to remove the contract employees from services was un-warranted and provocative. They cautioned him against taking hard decisions especially at a time when the Telangana sentiments were at its peak. They said that the government's decision was a perfect example of how coercive methods were being used to end the general strike.

Later, talking to reporters Prof Kodandaram said that the Transport Minister has agreed to cancel the termination orders of all the contract employees. He said that the government was trying to threaten the agitating employees by using ESMA while it has sent a wrong signal by removing contract employees from the RTC.

The JAC chief said that they have urged Botsa to brief the Centre about the actual situation prevailing in the region. He also ridiculed the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy's statement that all is well in the Telangana region. "If everything is alright and the region is peaceful, then whey the government has deployed huge number of para-military forces across Telangana?" he asked.

TRS MLA Tarakarama Rao demanded that the government pay a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family of Mallesh, the auto-rickshaw driver, who was killed after being hit by a RTC bus near Yousufguda on Wednesday.