HYDERABAD: A Division Bench of the High Court on Tuesday directed the State Government to constitute a task force which will swing into action in the event of public transport being paralysed by workers of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC).

The Bench consisting of acting Chief Justice Bilal Nazki and Justice G. Chandraiah was disposing of writ petitions filed by the Indian Young Lawyers Forum and another. The petitioners complained that the Government was not taking any steps to deal with the proposed strike by RTC employees which would put the public to great hardship.

It may be recalled that after hearing the workmen, the Bench directed them as well as the Government to re-start the negotiations which had broken down earlier. The workmen contended that they have right to go on strike as provided by the relevant statute.

The Bench reserved the orders and delivered the judgment in the afternoon. The Bench said as workmen were not on strike at present, the issue of legality of the strike was not being adjudicated. The Bench made it clear that the government should take all the steps to see that the public transport system shall not break down and all buses shall ply. The Bench closed the case with these observations.

JAC hardens stand

Staff Reporter adds: Meanwhile, the Joint Action Committee of APSRTC Unions said it would go ahead with its plan of serving strike notice on the Government on September 8.

Referring to the High Court judgment, B. Rama Rao, of the Employees' Union, said: "It had no direct or indirect reference on our right to go on strike and asking the Government to have a task force to have a list of names of qualified drivers to be used in the event of strike, is only a hypothetical solution to reduce inconvenience to people."

Diesel price hike

The Transport Mazdoor Sangh leader, B. Nageswara Rao, said the court had made no comment on the merits or demerits of strike in July by the employees.

Referring to the hike in price of high speed diesel (HSD), Mr. Rao said it meant an additional burden to the corporation to the tune of about Rs. 80 crores.

It was time the Government exempted the APSRTC from paying the 23 per cent sales tax on purchase of HSD.

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