Pune:
Lakhs of commuters faced hardships today as municipal city buses went off roads following a day's token strike called by the employees' unions to press their demand for pay hike.
About 10,000 employees of Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) participated in the strike that paralyzed municipal transport services as the entire fleet comprising 1550 buses remained grounded.
The strike was illegal and was undertaken without a notice to the administration, a PMPML spokesman said, adding that it was ready to open negotiations with the action
committee of the employees which has given a call for an indefinite strike from February 21 if their demands are not met.
Over 11 lakh people commute daily by the PMPML buses, generating an average revenue of about Rs one crore.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said the party activists had mobilized private vehicles to carry stranded people who failed to get alternative mode of
transport in various parts of the city even as rickshaw drivers made a brisk business.