The Hindu : 5,000 RTC employees ready to take VRS

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 25, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

5,000 RTC employees ready to take VRS

By Our Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA JULY 24. About 5,000 employees of the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) have agreed to take the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) throughout the State, which would help save the beleaguered corporation a staggering Rs 60 crores annually.

The scheme would be implemented shortly this year, once the State Government gives the nod for the same, managing director R P Singh told The Hindu here on Thursday.

There are currently 1.24 lakh employees with the corporation and a major chunk of its earnings is going towards the staff salaries.

The VRS is expected to gradually reduce the huge accumulated losses of Rs 900 crores.

However, the corporation, which is in a serious financial crunch, urged the Government to either waive Rs 250 crores road tax paid by the corporation or alternatively provide it with grants for fulfilling the VRS commitments.

The Government is expected to take a decision on this issue too. Quoting conservative estimates, the official said the RTC is currently losing an estimated Rs 500 crore revenue on account of the illegal operations of private vehicles.

``I am certainly not happy with the efforts that have been made to curb the operation of illicit vehicles.

But since it not under my purview, I only hope that the department concerned would take the necessary measures to prevent such operations,'' Mr Singh said in response to a question.

Expressing satisfaction over the improved performance of the corporation during 2002-2003 as the occupancy rate had been increased to 63 per cent over the corresponding year, the managing director said the RTC hopes to substantially improve the occupancy ratio by initiating a series of passenger-friendly measures.

The measures among other things would be to rationalise the existing fleet service timings, maintain punctuality, extend more courteous service and increase the frequency besides replacing the obsolete buses with new ones. Mr Singh said that the Rs 70 lakh Global Positioning System (GPS), also known as Automatic Vehicle Locating and Display, a joint venture project with the Central Government's Department of Science and Technology (DST) will be inaugurated shortly in Hyderabad as the work on the project has fully been completed.

The computerised system, which works with the aid of satellite communications, will have specially developed transmitters fitted to each of the high-tech buses on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada route, where it is being introduced on a pilot basis.

The GPS system will help the corporation precisely identify the movement of each and every high-tech vehicle at every stage throughout the day. About 120 hi-tech vehicles operate every day on the route and GPS will help the RTC identify the reasons for the delay, besides providing the passengers the precise time of the arrival or departure of a bus at any stage.

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