Job aspirants urge NWKRTC to fill remaining 814 posts, protests enter Day 2
The indefinite protest by scores of candidates — who were shortlisted for the posts of drivers and driver-cum-conductors — to demand the filling of the
The indefinite protest by scores of candidates — who were shortlisted for the posts of drivers and driver-cum-conductors — to demand the filling of the remaining 814 posts out of the total 2,814 posts notified in 2019 for recruitment by North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC), entered the second day on Wednesday (July 29). As NWKRTC authorities have obtained a temporary injunction order from the local court restraining the job aspirants from putting up banners, pluck cards, and posters within 300 metres of the corporation’s head office in Hubballi, and also from affecting the transport services, the job aspirants had to shift their protest venue before launching the protest on Tuesday (July 28).
They are now protesting at Santhe Maidan near Akshay Park in Hubballi and have been joined by their family members. BJP leader Subhash Singh Jamadar, who is leading the protest, has accused the State government of failing to honour its promise of filling the remaining posts despite repeated reminders. “It is shameful that the government has now taken the legal route to prevent the job aspirants from protesting. We will continue to fight till our demands are met,” he said. A host of job aspirants including Ramesh Kadam, Chetan Rao, Yallappa Bagalkot, Doodabai Chowdhary, Malaram Devasi, Gangadhar Gujamagadi and others took part in the protest.
Relay hunger strike The protestors on Wednesday (July 29) decided to put off the proposed indefinite hunger strike and have resolved to launch a relay hunger strike from Friday. As per the recruitment notification of 2019, the NWKRTC had called for applications for filling 2,814 posts of drivers and driver-cum-conductors. After completion of the documentation process and the test of proficiency, the provisional list was published. But subsequently, the number of posts was trimmed to 1,000, which had enraged job aspirants and resulted in a series of protests. Subsequently, the chairman and managing director of NWKRTC too had requested the government to permit filling of the remaining 1,814 posts.
Last year, from June to November, a series of protests were undertaken by the job aspirants, including the visit of then Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy to Hubballi. Consequently, the government held recruitment for 1,000 posts in January 2026. However, the remaining notified posts are yet to be filled up, and that is why the job aspirants have again launched the protest. Meanwhile, Mahesh Tenginakai, Hubballi-Dharwad Central MLA from BJP, has extended support to the ongoing protests and strongly condemned NWKRTC for trying to restrain the job aspirants from protesting for fulfilment of their rightful demands.
The BriefWire