The Congress party, if voted to power, would merge the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) with the State government and all employees would be given pay scales and other benefits like medical on par with State government employees, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said.
Addressing the Aatmiya Abhinandana Sabha organised by Telangana Jatiya Mazdoor Union (TJMU) at RTC Kalyana Mandapam here on Thursday, cautioned the employees that if Mr. K. Chandrashekhar Rao was elected again he would close down the TSRTC. He reminded how Mr. Rao had threatened to close the Corporation when employees gave a strike notice seeking redressal of their demands.
Mr. Reddy said RTC provides affordable transport to common people and it should not be judged in terms of profit and loss. Instead of strengthening the RTC, Mr. Rao chose to play with the lives of RTC employees using Telangana sentiment. He said Congress will not forget the sacrifices made by the RTC employees during the Telangana agitation.
Oil prices
He also blamed the rising oil prices for RTC losses but the BJP government at the Centre was least bothered about it. When prices came down in the international market the same was not passed on to common people and also to organisations like the RTC, he said.
Mr. Reddy said the State taxes on petroleum products increased by five times after TRS came to power. The LPG cylinder, which used to cost about ₹ 450 during UPA regime, is now costing around ₹ 1,000.
Former MLA R. Krishnaiah said RTC had been serving the poor for long and their services should not go waste. All their demands are just but the government failed to address them despite being in a position to do so. TJMU leaders K. Hanumanthu Mudiraj, DVK Rao, T. Sudhakar and other leaders spoke.