The newly appointed Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) Chairman B. Goverdhan on Monday said he will make all out efforts to bring back the past glory of the public transport system, making it self-reliant and passenger friendly on Monday.
Stating that the TSRTC is a “great” organisation, which has seen many ups and downs, he traced most of the problems to the rise in diesel prices and the COVID-19 pandemic with the revenue loss reaching ₹ 2,500 crore.
Talking to the media after taking charge, Mr. Goverdhan said before the pandemic, the organisation used to earn ₹13 crore a day and it has come down to ₹10 crore a day but the expenditure is to the tune of ₹18 crore, leaving a deficit of ₹8 crore. He will soon look into the functioning of the cargo parcel services, fuel filling stations and other ‘non-operational’ areas where revenue can be increased.
“We will not sell assets like the Central Government is doing,” he remarked to a question. Thanking Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for giving him the opportunity, the TRS MLA from Nizamabad (Rural) said the former (KCR) is determined to turn around the corporation. His appointment as well as that of IPS officer V.C. Sajjanar was indicative of Mr. Rao’s serious intent as ₹ 3,000 crore has been allotted in the budget so that payment of salaries can be made on time.
The Chairman also urged the general public to travel in RTC buses, with more services to the villages being restored, as it is safe when compared to the private vehicles and environment friendly as pollution is reduced. Even accidents can be prevented if more people take to them. RTC employees had put their lives at risk and worked during the pandemic not only in running bus services but took up special operations for transport of medicines, oxygen, etc., he noted.
Mr. Sajjanar said everyone from the directors to the drivers and conductors are keen to put in their best since there was a lot of scope for improvement of services. The staff will also be sensitised about passenger concerns like halting at designated stops and so on. The RTC hospital too will be developed as a multi-speciality one, he added.
