Keshava Rao appeals to RTC staff to call off strike

Hold talks with state government; suicide not the solution to any problem, says Rao

Hyderabad: TRS Secretary-General Dr K Keshava Rao has requested the RTC staff to call off the strike immediately and sit with the state government to resolve their problems. "At the same time, I urge the state government to consider the RTC employees issues," said Mr Keshava Rao, while welcoming the three-tier structure proposed by Telangana Chief Minister, K Chandrashekhar Rao

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Secretary-General further said that any government was not a commercial organisation.

"I welcome the decision of Telangana government not to privatise RTC. No vested party can dictate policy formulation to an elected government. There's a lot of difference between a state and public undertaking the enterprise. Social control is always preferred over state control. The three-tier structure comprising 50 per cent RTC, 30 per cent state carriages and 20 per cent private vehicles must be viewed as an experiment,” observed Mr Keshava Rao.

Mr Rao recalled the earlier decision of the TRS government in announcing 44 per cent increment in salaries in addition to 16 per cent interim relief.

Mr Rao headed the TRS manifesto committee ahead of the Telangana Assembly elections held in December 2018. "We never considered the merger of RTC with the State. There was, therefore, no thinking let alone a promise at any time over the merger of RTC or any other PSEs with the government," clarified Mr Rao."I am deeply pained over the deaths of two striking RTC employees. Suicide is not the solution to any problem. I once again appeal to all the RTC employees to call off the strike and discuss with the state government on how to resolve their problems," further added Mr Rao.