Half of RTC to go private, says K Chandrasekhar Rao

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday decided to privatise half of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation and allow private owners to run buses under the control of the corporation to sustain it.

The CM was speaking after reviewing a report by the commitee headed by principal secretary, transport, Sunil Sharma on measures to return the RTC to profit. Mr Rao said the state does not want to privatise RTC but only wanted to strengthen it.

On Sunday, he had refused to merge the corporation with the government, the prime demand of the RTC staff who are on strike since Saturday, and has refused to take back into service 48,140 staff who did not resume work within the government’s deadline.

It was stated that of the RTC’s estimated fleet strength of 10,400 buses, the corporation owns only about half, or 5,200. These would be run under the RTC banner and be staffed by the corporation.

Another 30 per cent, or 3,100 buses, of the RTC fleet is already under hire. A CMO statement said that of this 30 per cent, nine per cent buses would need to be replaced to make up the numbers. This group of buses would be staffed by private parties, and the vehicles can use RTC infrastructure such as parking. The other 20 per cent buses, or 2,100, would be run and maintained entirely by private parties and would be run as stage carriers.

According to the statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office, the RTC will decide the tariff for all categories.

The Chief Minister said that none of the workers was dismissed by the management, it was “self- dismissal” of the workers as they did not rejoin duty before the Saturay 6 pm deadline.

Mr Rao said the DGP was instructed to make security arrangements at all the depots and act strictly against trouble-makers.

The Chief Minister said RTC subsidies to the physically challenged, freedom fighters, students, journalists and families of police martyrs and employees will continue and the government would reimburse the corporation. Mr Rao said the RTC strike was the result of the “monopoly attitude of the trade unions”. But the unions had ceased to exist as the staff did not rejoin duty. It was felt at the meeting that the people were appreciating the measures being initiated by the government to make the RTC self-sufficient.