Nobody can save the RTC, In my view, it is a gone case: CM KCR

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Thursday declared that there was no scope for the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) to continue in the same form as it exists today. Blasting the unions for misleading the RTC workers, he said they would be responsible for the outcome that awaits the TSRTC.

Explaining the finances of the Corporation and the challenges to keep it afloat, Chandrashekhar Rao said: “Nobody can save the RTC. In my view, it is a gone case.” “The solution to ending the strike is to end the RTC,” he added.

The Chief Minister, who did not hold back any punches on the issue, said the question of merging RTC with the government, a demand put forth by the unions, does not arise. “This is an insane demand that has no basis. The responsibility of the government is to ensure an efficient public transport to the people. This, we will do,” he said.

Chandrashekhar Rao also made it clear that he holds no grudge against the drivers and conductors of the RTC. “They are good and efficient people, both the workers and the management. It is the unions that are responsible for the current plight of the workers,” he said.

The Chief Minister, striking a caring note for the RTC workers, also left the door open for the 48,000-odd employees who walked away from duties, to the possibility of returning to work. “The strike itself is illegal. They are the ones who walked away from work. If they want their jobs back, they can go back and apply. Who am I to say what they should do? It is for them to decide what they want to do,” he said.

“The employees must get out of the toxic embrace of the unions,” he said.

“This entire strike,” he said, “is nothing but efforts by leaders of unions to hang on to their positions because every few years, they have elections. And every time these elections come around, they invariably raise a set of demands and mislead the workers into going on a strike for their own



personal gains.”

“The government has to cater to the needs of everyone in the State and cannot be held to ransom by one section of workers. Our responsibility is to ensure availability of public transport and we will do that. Of course there are some difficulties being faced by the public now but these are passing days and people should have patience before things improve. And they will improve. An effective public transport system that promotes competition, better services at lesser cost is in the offing,” he said.

The State government will take a decision within the next five or six days with respect to its responsibility of ensuring public bus transport services as per the provisions of the amended Motor Vehicle Act 2019, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao said.

“I do not even require to call for a meeting of the Cabinet for this. The Transport Minister and I can issue the orders. Within a few days, there can be 6,000 to 7,000 private buses plying in the State, at lesser fares, till people say enough, we do not need more. I can issue any number of permits any moment,” he said.

There are 4,100 buses available in the State which can begin offering public transport services within 10 days. The first notification for hiring of buses received 2,500 applications of which 2,075 permissions were given. Another notification for an additional 1,000 private buses for hire will be issued. There is heavy competition among private bus service providers, the Chief Minister told a news conference here on Thursday.

Answering a question, he said the decision of Andhra Pradesh to merge APSRTC with the government is before a committee and it remains to be seen what the recommendations will be. Chandrashekhar Rao also took a dig at the BJP and Congress saying instead of supporting the RTC unions here and their demands, the two political parties will do well to merge RTCs with the governments in the States ruled by them.