Pune: The week-long strike by clerical staff at regional transport offices (RTOs) across Maharashtra ended on Wednesday evening after a successful dialogue with state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik. The minister has assured the union that the long-standing issue of promotions will be resolved within the next two days.The strike, spearheaded by the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Department Union, had paralysed operations at RTOs statewide, including Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad. The disruption left thousands of citizens unable to process vehicle registrations, license renewals, and other essential paperwork.The breakthrough came after the issue was raised by several MLAs during the ongoing monsoon session of the state assembly. Following the legislative pressure, union representatives were invited to Mantralaya for a presentation of their grievances.“The minister listened to our demands and reviewed our presentation. He has assured us that the transport department will resolve the promotion issue within 48 hours. Other employee-friendly decisions will be finalised within the next fortnight,” a senior union member told TOI. It was also decided that remaining pending matters would be addressed through discussions at the commissioner level.Jagdish Kande, the union’s working president in Pune, confirmed that normal operations would resume on Thursday. Referring to the govt’s shift in stance, Kande noted, “On Monday, the minister had characterised our demands as illegal and against regulations. The fact that they have now agreed to them proves that our cause was just and within the framework of the law. Over 1,200 clerical employees are now ready to return to work.”Union members added that the resolutions reached during the meeting are expected to be formally announced by the minister on the floor of the legislative assembly on June 24.The news brought immediate relief to citizens who had been caught in the crossfire. Gurunath Birajdar, a resident of Kharadi who had visited the Pune RTO twice last week for a vehicle registration change, expressed his satisfaction. “I’ve been waiting for days to get my work done. I will give it one more day for the backlog to clear and then visit the office on Friday. I just hope the process is smooth now,” he said.
