Strike likely to end this week-end

HYDERABAD: Besides asking the principal secretaries of key departments to hold department-wise talks with the union leaders concerned to find ways to end the Telangana employees’ strike which entered the 38th day on Thursday, the Kiran Kumar Reddy Government is preparing a ground for the striking employees to make a ‘respectful exit’.The government is keen to put an end to the strike by the end of this week and want the employees to join their duties from Monday (Oct 24).The government is thinking of taking an employees’ delegation to the Congress high command in Delhi for an assurance on their demand for a Telangana state.The chief minister, who is leaving for Delhi on Friday, will try to fix a meeting for employees’ leaders with prime minister Manmohan Singh and other central leaders concerned.It is learnt that Kiran Kumar Reddy will have talks with the Telangana ministers before inviting the striking employees’ delegation to Delhi.Though employees of Singareni Collieries, RTC and educational institutions have postponed their strike, those working in some important departments such as commercial taxes, revenue, agriculture, energy, social welfare and rural development are still continuing the strike in support of Sakala the Janula Samme.Cabinet sub-committee chairman and deputy chief minister C Damodar Rajanarsimha and PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana are also expected to visit Delhi for the purpose.The government is busy chalking out various strategies to put an end to the strike.Telangana employees’ JAC leaders K Swamy Goud, C Vittal, G Devi Prasad and Narender Rao however denied having received any invitation from the government.“There has been no communication even from the members of the cabinet sub-committee after the second round of talks held at the Secretariat on October 15.We are continuing the strike but we are ready to hold talks with the government if invited.Till date, there has been no invitation from the government.If invited, we will attend,” they said in a sign of mellowing.The TEJAC leaders met chief secretary Pankaj Dwivedi at the Secretariat to discuss the cases registered against some striking employees.Some cases were registered also by the railways against employees’ leaders on the day (October 15) when talks were held with the cabinet sub-committee.In all, 22 criminal cases were registered against employees.