Pay hike will leave RTC bleeding: Officials to Telangana CM Chandrasekhar Rao

HYDERABAD: A pay hike for employees of the State-owned Road Transport Corporation would financially burden the loss-making RTC further, officials informed Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday. The officials suggested to Rao to hike RTC fares. The other way out would be for the State government to provide huge financial assistance to the corporation.  

The CM held a review on the RTC at Telangana Bhavan on Thursday. Transport Minister P Ajay Kumar, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and other officials were present.The officials are said to have told Rao that the increased fuel prices and lockdown had driven the RTC into further losses. 

When the bus fares were hiked the last time, the diesel price was Rs 67/litre. But, soon after the diesel price shot up by Rs 15/litre.  “If the salaries of employees are hiked now, the RTC cannot bear the same. The bus charges should be hiked or the government should provide financial assistance to the RTC,” the officials told Rao.

Cargo services a hit

RTC officials said occupancy in buses to Andhra Pradesh had reached 58 per cent. “We are now earning Rs 9 crore income daily. Things will improve further in future,” the officials said. They said that the recently launched Cargo services too were successful. “We have delivered 17.72 lakh parcels under Cargo service and earned Rs 22.61 crore,” they told the CM.

After the meeting, Transport Minister Puvvada Ajya Kumar announced that the Chief Minister has permitted the RTC to operate 75 per cent of city services. At present, the RTC is operating only 50 per cent of the city services.