As Mallikarjun Rao walked into the familiar odours of grease and diesel at the A.P. State Road Transport Corporation’s depot at Vidyadharapuram in Vijayawada that morning, he noticed a small group of his fellow workers gathered in front of the notice board.

He had a sinking feeling as he approached the group. The notice, released a fortnight ago, stated that the facility was being converted into an e-bus depot and had to be vacated. “The depot manager said the garage staff should submit their options of transfer depots to the section in-charge,” recalls Rao, describing the anxiety and confusion the notice triggered among them.