An association of hired bus operators working in Warangal region on Wednesday claimed that the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) owes them dues for September, October and the current month for around 230 buses.
The Warangal Urban District Hire Bus Owner’s Association wrote to the Regional Manager, Warangal, and pointed out that approximately 70% of payments for the month of September were made, and asked the official to clear the pending amount within two days. The letter further stated that no payment for the month of October has been made so far.
Speaking to The Hindu , Warangal Urban District Hire Bus Association president A. Madhukar Reddy said while the TSRTC is paying ₹4,000 per bus as fuel charges, bus owners are forced to shell out an additional ₹2,000 to ₹3,000 to cover expenses. He also said that on account of this shortfall, several bus owners are unable to make monthly payment instalments for buses and wages to drivers.
Explaining the situation, association general secretary P. Kumaraswamy said each bus runs 300 to 400 km. This includes buses within Warangal and outbound vehicles as well.
“What the RTC is paying us is too little. They paid approximately ₹60,000 per bus for September, but a larger amount is pending,” he said.
When contacted, senior TSRTC officials admitted that payments were indeed due to the hired bus operators. However, they claimed that payments for the the month of September have been paid in full.
“The September dues have been cleared. As regards to the total amount, we are yet to calculate it. We have made ad-hoc payments of ₹4,000 for each bus and it is natural that they have to bear a part of the expenses. At the moment, the total amount payable is unavailable. But once this is calculated, we will adjust what we have paid so far with the total payable amount,” the official said.
