CM Telangana wants end to RTC stir

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Monday wanted the RTC workers to call off their strike in a day or two so that students attending EAMCET examination were not put to any inconvenience. Even as stalemate continued in the talks between the RTC unions and the government, the Chief Minister asked the cabinet sub-committee, formed to resolve the RTC strike, to initiate measures for safeguarding the public transport system while making it self-reliant. The sub-committee members met the Chief Minister after holding discussions with the workers’ union at Secretariat on Monday.

The Chief Minister advised the sub-committee to take into account workers’ welfare, financial status of the Road Transport Corporation and limitations of the government while taking a decision. Chief Minister has asked the sub-committee to elicit from the agitating RTC workers as to what measures from the government would make them call off the strike. Talking to media persons, Minister for Home Naini Narsimha Reddy said that they had briefed the Chief Minister about the situation. He said that the committee had asked the officials to make a fresh report on the fitment and effects on the Road Transport Corporation by Tuesday morning.

The committee would go through the report



and if needed would call the workers union for talks on the same day. The Minister also informed that if needed the workers union leaders would be taken to the Chief Minister on Wednesday. Stating that the workers would only be there if the organization remained intact, the minister urged the workers to support the government in saving the RTC. Minister for Power, Jagadish Reddy and Minister for Commercial Taxes T Srinivas Yadav were included in the committee.

The expanded committee has discussed the ways and means the RTC can improve its operations keeping the future needs in mind, its current financial standing and the welfare of the workers and employees of the Corporation. Chief Secretary Rajeev Sharma, RTC JMD G V Ramana Rao, Commercial Taxes Commissioner Anil Kumar, Special Principal Secretary ( finance)  Pradeep Chandra, Secretary Ramakrishna Rao participated in the review meeting on the RTC strike.

Meanwhile, the Transport Department has decided to run over 3,000 buses in all the districts for the benefit of students writing EAMCET on May 14. "We have decided to run 3,200 buses along with RTC and other school buses for the benefit of the students in all the districts,” said Joint Transport Commissioner B Venkateshwarlu.