Mounting pressure on staff to keep Telangana Road Transport Corporation afloat

HYDERABAD: With the continuous price hike of diesel, which is about to touch Rs 100 per litre, pressure is mounting on the bus drivers and conductors of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) to keep it afloat after sustaining heavy losses during the lockdown. They now have to ensure that the buses run efficiently at 5.2 kilometres per litre (KMPL) while maintaining the earnings per kilometre (EPK) at Rs 30.

While citing orders from TSRTC officials, within days of the lockdown being lifted, a notice was pasted on the walls of the several depots asking drivers to run their buses at 5 KMPL .while the conductors were asked maintain the EPK at Rs 30 in the city. While in the districts, the KMPL should be 5.4, while the EPK stays at Rs 35. The TSRTC management believes that maintaining the EPK and KMPL to desired numbers would be optimal to its growth. 

However, the employees have questioned the rationale behind coming up with such instructions when there are constraints, as the public transport continues to receive less patronage ever since the Covid struck. Moreover, the fitness of the buses remain under question, as nearly half of the buses from around a fleet of 8,000 is more than 15 years old. 

“How do you expect buses to give good mileage when nearly half of the buses are older than 15 years? The staff is facing harassment, if they are not able to maintain optimal levels. There are close to 100 drivers who are already facing the heat and were not assigned duties for two to three days,” said K Hanumanthu, vice chairman, TSRTC JAC. 

Citing the example of one of the drivers who had died by suicide at Ranigunj I bus depot, he alleged that this kind of harassment may prove detrimental to the future of the employees and also the organisation.

NOT GIVEN DUTY FOR DAYS
On Tuesday, a 50-year-old TSRTC bus driver died by suicide at the Ranigunj I bus depot. His colleagues alleged that he was being harassed by superiors at the depot who weren’t assigning him regular duties. Hanumanthu, vice chairman, TSRTC JAC, said about 100 drivers are facing similar heat from superiors