The joint action committee (JAC) of Telangana employees is meeting here on September 24 to take a crucial decision on the ongoing indefinite strike that began on September 13.

The JAC is expected to call off the agitation as employees are mounting pressure on its leaders with the government deciding not to pay salaries to those striking work, informed sources said.

There is a lot of heartburn among the striking government employees as the Dasara festival is just round the corner.

With chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy issuing instructions on Friday to district collectors in Telangana to stop payment of salaries to all those taking part in the strike, seething employees are questioning the JAC spearheading the strike about the rationale for continuing the agitation further.

"When the strike, originally scheduled to be launched late last month, was postponed in view of Ramzan festivities, why is it not being called off when Dasara is fast nearing," the employees reportedly questioning the JAC leadership.

"Yes, there is pressure on us to call off the strike and employees are questioning us on this. Their anguish is, of course, genuine since they stand to losing salaries at festival time," a top leader of the JAC admitted.

JAC president K Swami Goud told a closed-door meeting of its leaders that it was not possible for them to carry on the strike further and it is now for the political leaders to jump into agitation mode, sources said.

Meanwhile, a press release from the chief minister's office said Kiran Kumar Reddy directed the authorities concerned to ensure that no inconvenience was caused to people because of the strike. He also asked them to ensure prompt payment of salaries to employees not taking part in the strike.

Officials informed the chief minister that the power generation and supply position continued to be difficult in spite of best efforts.

The state was purchasing 1,500 MW of power from outside sources, the CMO release pointed out. While the demand for power yesterday was 258 million units, AP Power Transmission Corporation supplied 245 mu, leaving a deficit of 13 million units. Hydel power generation dipped by three million units today from 48 million units yesterday, aggravating the crisis across the state, the CMO release stated adding that efforts were being made to get coal from outside the state for power generation at thermal stations.

The union petroleum ministry agreed to supply RNL gas to the state, according to the release.

The AP State Road Transport Corporation could operate only 400 buses out of the total of 10,000 in Telangana region because of the workers' strike.