TSRTC to resume full service in Hyderabad, 50% more buses to hit road

Hyderabad: The Telangana Government has announced to resume state-run TSRTC buses, which suffered huge loss due to Covid pandemic. Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has directed the department to pay two months 50% pending salaries of the TSRTC workers.

In a direction to the Principal Secretary (Finance) Ramakrishna Rao, the CM ordered to release Rs 120 Crore in this regard.

It has also been decided to increase by 50 per cent of bus services in Hyderabad city in order to boost employment.

"Telangana government is protecting the State Public Sector Undertaking despite several difficulties. The government is providing security to lakhs of employees and their families of the State PSUs. It has opposed tooth and nail when attempts made by some to privatize the power sector. Moreover, the government has regularized thousands of contract employees of the electricity department. It protected the families of these employees. On the other hand, the Centre is privatizing PSUs including the LIC. But yet, the state government is protecting its PSUs'," said the CM.

He further added' I will not sleep till the TSRTC is put back on its track. I will protect TSRTC as long as I am here. Many employees and lakhs of their families are dependent on the TSRTC. Moreover, this is the cheapest transport network available for the poor. Hence, without thinking about the loss or profits that the TSRTC is making, we will protect it for the larger public interest. The government will financially assist the TSRTC. We have to pay immediately two months 50% pending salaries of the RTC employees. The finance department should immediately release Rs 120 Crore for this purpose," the CM said.

TSRTC officials informed the CM that due to the Corona Pandemic and with people preferring to use the private vehicles, occupancy rate of the RTC buses had come down drastically which resulted in the Corporation incurring heavy losses.

In this regard the CM instructed the officials to take appropriate decisions and get over the difficulties created by Corona. He wanted officials to analyse on what measures to be taken to make the RTC back to its Pre-Corona situation. The CM said the Cargo services introduced by the TSRTC have become a big hit and people are patronising it. The CM hoped that like the Indian Railways, TSRTC would also earn profits through its Cargo services. The CM also expressed happiness over the TSRTC setting Million Parcel Transport record. Sri KCR congratulated Transport Minister Sri Puvvada Ajay Kumar and the officials concerned. Sri Ajay Kumar and officials have thanked the CM for his instructions to hold talks with their counterparts in AP, which led to TSRTC getting lakhs of KMs of transport right.

"One by one institutions are back on track from the Corona Pandemic situation. People are coming out. Services sector like hotels and Dhaba are coming back to the business. People have started moving. In this backdrop, find out and discuss at length what measures to be taken to make people patronize RTC once again," the CM instructed.