The expert committee constituted by the State government to study the modalities for the merger of the A.P. State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) with the government, is ready with an interim report that will be placed before Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy when he returns from his foreign tour.
Informing this here on Tuesday, Transport Minister Perni Venkataramaiah said he would discuss the report with Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy and place it before the Chief Minister.
The expert committee, headed by former IPS officer C. Anjaneya Reddy as its chairman, and Principal Secretary, Transport and Roads and Buildings, M.T. Krishna Babu, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, APSRTC, N. Surendra Babu, and a few others as members, held a series of meetings with all stakeholders to study and explore the way forward.
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The Minister said that very soon the RTC employees would be eligible for benefits that were being given to the government employees.
“Based on the suggestions made by the expert panel, the Chief Minister will take a call on the issue,” he said.
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Replying to a query on the rise in cases of road accidents, Mr. Venkataramaiah attributed a majority of the accidents to callous driving.
“Almost 99% of the fatalities are due to the negligence of the persons at the wheel,” he said, adding that new vehicles with high-tech features too contributed to the rising number of accidents.
‘Awareness needed’
The Minister confessed to an imperative need to educate people, especially the younger generation, on road safety. He said there was a proposal to start an awareness drive in schools and colleges, engaging students of classes 8 to degree courses on the need to follow road rules.
Besides, the Transport Department had also been allocated a revolving fund of ₹100 crore to focus on issues such as traffic signal management, speed breakers, signboards, and overall road safety.
Awards for journalists
Mr. Venkataramaiah, who is also Minister for Information and Public Relations, said he would sincerely try to address all pending issues of the journalists’ community, including the promised house sites and other concessions.
Responding positively to a request to revive awards to outstanding journalists, he said the government would announce the awards on November 16, the National Press Day.