The ongoing strike by nearly 48,000 employees of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) has affected citizens from all walks of life, but perhaps none more than students, who heavily depend on public transport.
It has been a few weeks since educational institutes reopened after Dasara holidays and the state government, faced with such a massive strike, has been operating only skeletal services.
Due to this, buses have only been plying on the main roads in Hyderabad, with barely a few buses or none at all, on the interior routes.
The situation in Hyderabad
This has resulted in videos surfacing on social media, which show students dangerously footboarding and hanging on for their lives, as overcrowded buses are unable to accommodate everyone.
Videos also show students precariously standing on a bumper at the back of the bus and holding on to the roof, to prevent themselves from falling down.
This video reportedly shot in #Hyderabad shows the precarious conditions that students are commuting to attend colleges. @thenewsminute @dhanyarajendran pic.twitter.com/ekTcU9jO6k
— CharanTeja (@CharanT16) November 5, 2019
Sir ,chif minister ,ministers, MLA పైసలు ఉన్నవాళ్లు కార్లు ఉన్నవాళ్లు ఆందరు బాగున్నారు .. కానీ పేద పిల్లల బాధలు ఎవరికీ కనిపించడం లేదు .. సామాన్యుల ఓపికని పరిస్కిస్తున్నరు మీరు... ఇంకా ఎంత మందిని చంపుధం అనుకుంటున్నారు .. ఏదైనా ఒక్కటి చెయ్యండి @KTRTRS @TV9Telugu @abntelugut pic.twitter.com/CmqgyPgWUc
— AMR (@MaheshRam9553) November 4, 2019
R Rajaram, a law student from Ibrahimpatnam said, "Going to college on time has become tough. There are very few buses. Hundreds of students have to travel on footboard or even on bumpers, if something goes wrong we can't even imagine."
When asked about what he thinks about the RTC strike, he said, "The strike is clearly affecting students, and we don't know how long it will affect us."
His classmate Vijay P said, "As there are only a few buses, autos have also increased their rates. We are paying as much as they're asking as we don't have another option."
Though the TSRTC is claiming that they're running buses by hiring temporary drivers and conductors, it is visible that operation of buses is not happening at the level which the state government claims.
Saif Rahman, engineering student from Hasthinapuram said, "Returning from college is also a challenge, as there are no buses at all and autos are charging high fares," while adding that this was causing havoc during peak hours.
Saif, who travels about 50 km regularly, said, "The state government should sort out the issues of striking employees and the RTC should provide more number of buses to meet the needs of students."
While more videos from the jurisdiction of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) have surfaced, the problem is not isolated to the capital city alone. Many students from rural areas of the state also have their fair share of complaints.
Rural students worst-hit
Madhusudan, an undergraduate student who travels from a village in Bhiknoor mandal to Kamareddy, said that they're often missing classes or choosing not to go at all.
"While there are very few buses on some routes, to some villages, there is no bus service at all due to the strike," he said.
Like him, there are several students from interior villages in the state, who are finding it difficult to commute to their schools and colleges.
The managements of several colleges in district headquarters are also concerned about the impact of the strike, and told TNM that the drop in attendance was visible on paper.
"The ongoing strike has led to the disturbance of academic schedules. I hope things get sorted soon as exams are nearing. Many students, mainly from interior villages are facing problems," he said, on condition of anonymity.
This is not the only issue. Reports in local media suggest that bus pass-holding students along certain routes are being asked to get down by temporary staff as they need to meet a certain daily target of cash collection.
While the state government has stated that the student bus passes continue to be valid, many students allege that the temporary staff have been demanding cash for tickets, to meet their quota.
According to some estimates, RTC issues more than 60,000 free bus passes in Hyderabad city alone while there are thousands of students who avail concessional bus passes. The number for the entire state, would be several lakh.
Earlier this week, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao announced privatisation of 5,100 routes in the state while stating that the remaining would also be given to private parties if the staff failed to report back to duty by midnight of November 5.
Meanwhile, the deadlock between the RTC employees and the state government has continued, with striking workers refusing to adhere to an ultimatum issued by CM KCR.