Govt.-JAC talks make progress

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, OCT. 30. Hopes of an early settlement to the ongoing indefinite strike of APSRTC employees appeared bright as talks between the JAC and the Cabinet Sub-Committee made a little progress on Tuesday, the 16th day of the strike.

The meeting began this afternoon and two rounds of talks ended on a positive note by evening. Though JAC leaders maintained that the stalemate continued as no fresh ground was yielded by the Government, it is learnt that the JAC was agreeable to the fresh proposal made by the Government on reimbursement of concessions, MV Tax rationalisation and drive against illegal operations.

The Government had agreed not to announce any more concessions without reimbursement of the financial commitment and agreed to constitute a committee to work out an appropriate MV Tax structure at the earliest. The JAC had earlier suggested 9 per cent uniform MV Tax, it is learnt. On the demand for a stringent drive against the illegal operations, the Government agreed with the JAC suggestion as without such an operation, revenues of the corporation would dwindle.

The only hitch then remained to be the wage demand. The Government, expressing its helplessness to concede further on this score, however, was willing to pay the revised pay from January next itself. However, the JAC was particular and persistent in its demand for parity in wages with NGOs.

The Cabinet Sub-Committee members, Mr. T. Devender Goud and the Mr.B. V. Mohan Reddy, went back to the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, and were expected to meet the JAC later in the night.

Earlier, addressing a press conference, Mr. B. V. Raghavulu, secretary of the CPI(M) State Committee, warned the Government of stepping up the agitation. The Opposition leaders would hold a meeting on November 1 to decide on extending support to the general strike called on November 6 by the Central trade unions.

He demanded action against the ACP of Vijayawada, Mr. Rami Reddy for `brutally tackling' a woman protester on Monday during the demonstration in favour of the JAC demands. The photograph of the ACP thrusting his lathi into the mouth of a woman protester which appeared in a Telugu daily was sufficient evidence of the `barbaric and sadistic behaviour' of the police officer, he said.

The party had written to the chairman of the National Commission for Human Rights with a clipping of the photograph seeking action against the police officer.

Mr. Raghavulu said from Wednesday the CPI(M) would launch an agitation to prevent private buses from being run. He criticised the Chief Minister for `making a mockery of the Dial Your CM Programme' by engineering the phone calls during the programme. Trying to project himself as a saviour of the RTC was ridiculous as the Government had committed itself to privatise the corporation before 2003 to the World Bank. Youth Congress workers staged a dharna in front of Dilsukhnagar Depot this morning obstructing movement of some buses.

Reports of protests also came in from different districts. The Hyderabad Secunderabad Hotel Workers Union, meanwhile, in a statement here, extended support to the ongoing strike and said the Government should amicably settle the issue without treating it as a prestige issue. Their union would support the general strike, Mr. A. Prabhu, general secretary of the union and Mr. H. B. Raghavendra Rao, vice-president, said.

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