Nagpur: A financial crunch in Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) transport department threw the city’s public transport system into disarray on Wednesday after around 1,800 conductors attached to the Aapli Bus service went on a flash strike over delayed salaries, stranding thousands of commuters during peak morning hours.The strike brought to the fore the mounting financial stress within the city’s public transport network, with officials admitting that NMC has not released nearly Rs12 crore due to Chalo Mobility Private Limited (CMPL), the Integrated Bus Transport Management (IBTM) operator responsible for deploying conductors. The payment delay led to salary arrears, triggering the agitation.Of the 690 buses scheduled to operate, only 75 buses from the Koradi depot were initially out-shedded. Though drivers and conductors reported for duty, conductors refused to board buses after learning their salaries were not credited. Usually, they get their salaries by the 7th of every month.After being informed of the situation, CMPL alerted NMC and released salaries to all conductors from its own funds around 9.30 am despite pending civic dues. Services gradually resumed, but the protest flared up again later as conductors and drivers pressed for long-pending demands, including House Rent Allowance (HRA), a 26-day duty roster, payment of pending privilege leave encashment, and deployment of spare conductors to reduce workload.The disruption was compounded by the official Aapli Bus mobile application, which continued to display buses as operating normally and showed live arrival timings despite large-scale cancellations. Hundreds of commuters waited at bus stops unaware that services had been affected.Adding to commuters’ woes, autorickshaw drivers allegedly charged exorbitant fares on several routes, taking advantage of the absence of buses. Passengers reported paying significantly higher amounts than usual to reach offices, colleges and other destinations.Transport officials termed the strike “illegal,” saying no prior notice had been served. They said salaries are usually credited before the 10th of every month, but the delay occurred because NMC had not cleared dues payable to CMPL.Following discussions with transport authorities, employees agreed to resume services after assurance that their pending demands would be taken up at a meeting scheduled at NMC headquarters on July 17. Bus operations gradually normalised from around 3 pm, officials said.
