Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Marshals working under the Hydra services in Hyderabad have launched a boycott of their duties, demanding a salary hike. The protest follows a recent reduction in their pay, which has sparked widespread dissatisfaction among the personnel.

As a result of the strike, emergency services across the city have come to a halt. A total of 51 Hydra emergency vehicles are reportedly non-operational, leading to a complete disruption of services across all 150 city divisions.

The marshals allege that while their Director General had assured them a monthly salary of Rs. 45,000, they are currently being paid significantly less. “We were earlier receiving Rs. 29,000 per month, but now a Government Order (GO) says the pay scale is just Rs. 22,500,” a protesting marshal said.

“We came here to meet Hydra Commissioner Ranganath to raise our concerns. We are retired army personnel and receive pensions, but that should not be used as an excuse to undervalue our current service. Even labourers are seeing pay hikes. Yet, our salaries have been slashed and we are not even granted weekly time off, despite working continuously during the monsoon emergency,” the marshals stated. They emphasized that they would only resume duties if their demands for fair compensation and respectful treatment are met.