Narendra Modi, Indian PM

India’s southern state of Telangana has sacked over 48,000 employees and workers for the regional transport department over an indefinite strike, officials and news reports said on Monday.

The striking workers of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation had refused to end their two-day protest by the government deadline on Saturday, after which authorities announced the decision late on Sunday.

State chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao ruled out any negotiations with the striking workers to reinstate them and had made fresh recruitments.

“It is an unpardonable crime that they went on a strike during the festive season and at a time when the road corporation is incurring huge losses and an increasing debt burden,’’ Rao said, according to broadcaster NDTV.

In recent days, millions of Indians are returning home to visit relatives and celebrate the Hindu festival of Dussehra, which falls on Tuesday.

Senior state official K Ramakrishna Rao confirmed that authorities had taken action by invoking provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), which rendered the strike illegal.

“Under ESMA provisions, if the conduct of employees is illegal, they are liable for dismissal from service,’’ he said.

Around 50,000 workers had gone on strike on Friday with 26 demands including releasing dues and a merger of the corporation of with the government. Over 1,200 had not joined the strike.

This is not the first time authorities in India have resorted to mass sackings.

In 2003, Jayaram Jayalalithaa, then chief minister of the southern state of Tamil Nadu, dismissed over 170,000 striking state employees and teachers, although they were reinstated later.