With the strike threat hanging over its head like a Damocles’ sword, the AP State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) management is hoping that better sense will prevail over the union leaders and they would withdraw their agitation plan.
The transport corporation is in dire need of financial assistance from the government. To overcome the crisis, it has no choice but to bring pressure on the new government.
While leaders of a Joint Action Committee (JAC), which is a combine of various trade unions, and the National Mazdoor Union (NMU) have served separate strike notices on the management, warning of an indefinite strike if it fails to act on their immediate demands by May 22, the RTC management is working on its own charter of demands to be submitted to the new government.
“We want to propose to the new government that RTC be allowed to implement an annual 7.5 % fare hike for the next five years,” said Varla Ramaiah, chairman, APSRTC. This is in addition to other demands like exemption from Motor Vehicle tax (RTC pays ₹300 crore towards it annually), allocation of funds to the tune of ₹500 crore for purchase of new buses and carry out repairs to the old ones and also a grant-in-aid of ₹500 crore to help clear the accumulated revenue losses, said Mr. Ramaiah. The fleet of APSRTC buses consume around 3 crore litres of diesel every day. “We will also ask for concession on diesel rate,” said Mr. Ramaiah, informing that the outcome of the last meeting of the RTC team with Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu was positive.
Balancing act
Officials helming the transport corporation face a precarious condition, having to do the tough balancing act of keeping the crisis-ridden organisation afloat and cajoling the trade unionists out of the realm of the recurring strike threats. The public sector transport is witnessing a bizarre condition where its occupancy ratio has remarkably improved, touching 78% in 2018-19, more than its counterparts in Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat, and yet the revenue losses don’t seem to end.
“This is because of the frequent hike in diesel price and the fares remaining unchanged,” said MD N.V. Surendra Babu.