The strike was called by the Motor Vehicle Department (RTO) Employee Union, whose members say the Maharashtra government has repeatedly delayed action on key administrative reforms approved nearly four years ago. (File)Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) across Maharashtra, including those in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, saw clerical staff hold a sit-in protest on Monday, the latest escalation in an indefinite strike that began on June 16 over long-pending administrative reforms.The strike has disrupted a range of services at RTO offices. “The indefinite strike has affected several individuals, particularly those with urgent work like vehicle registration transfers, transport vehicle permits, RC and license duplication, and hypothecation cancellations, among others,” said Vishwa Inarkar, an agent at the Pune RTO.However, services such as vehicle fitness assessment and learner’s licence issuance continue unaffected.Also Read | Maharashtra tightens norms for new RTOs amid vehicle surgeWhat sparked the protestThe strike was called by the Motor Vehicle Department (RTO) Employee Union, whose members say the Maharashtra government has repeatedly delayed action on key administrative reforms approved nearly four years ago.The dispute traces back to September 23, 2022, when the state government approved a restructuring, referred to as ‘Akrutibandh’, of the clerical cadre within the Motor Vehicles Department.Under the earlier system, a clerical employee’s career advanced through five grades: Junior Clerk, Senior Clerk, Junior Auditor, Office Superintendent (OS), and Administrative Officer.The restructuring abolished the Junior Auditor grade, allowing employees in that role to be promoted directly to OS.Story continues below this adThe total number of OS positions across Maharashtra was also raised, from 66 to 176, and several promotions were carried out accordingly.Also Read | Delete these apps: Maharashtra government tells Apple and Google to pull Uber, Ola and RapidoEven after those promotions, 56 OS posts remained vacant. The union pushed for Senior Clerks to be promoted directly to fill these gaps – and the government agreed, but with a caveat: the promotions would be temporary, valid for only three months, pending the drafting of a new recruitment policy.“The standard validity for such promotions is 11 months. Three and a half years later, that policy is yet to be framed,” said Jagdish Kande, working president of the union. Over 80 staff from the Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and Baramati RTO offices are currently participating in the strike, he added.Delay by the administrationSurendra Sartape, general secretary of the union, said the union had made repeated attempts to resolve the matter through official channels, but to no avail.Story continues below this ad“Despite substantiated follow-ups, the administration is adopting a delaying tactic, forwarding proposals to the government under the guise of seeking guidance,” he said, noting that on June 19, the government promoted 38 ARTOs to Deputy RTO posts, but the union’s demands were left unaddressed.“We will begin a human-chain protest from Wednesday if the government fails to act,” Sartape told the Indian Express.The demands raised by the employees include approval of promotion proposals for 23 posts of Senior Administrative Officer and Administrative Officer; prioritising framing of recruitment rules for the post of office superintendent, currently pending; permanent transfer of employees whose deputations have been cancelled to their respective departments; and application of the Transfer Act of 2005 to certain employees in the administration department.Shubham Kurale is a journalist based in Pune and has studied journalism at the Ranade Institute. He primarily reports on transport and is interested in covering civic issues, sports, gig workers, environmental issues, and queer issues. X:@ShubhamKurale1 ... Read MoreClick here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories