Transport Minister Botcha Satyanarayana on Friday gave a piece of his mind to the 1.26 lakh workforce of the A.P. State Road Transport Corporation by reminding them that they had as much of a responsibility in ensuring the progress of the organisation as the management and Government.
In a 30-minute long speech at a function to mark the ‘Best KMPL Awards’ presentation, organised together with the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), he recalled that there were several instances when the Government had come to the rescue of the cash-strapped corporation that was constantly fighting to counter the effects of rising costs of operation, especially high speed diesel.
Mr. Satyanarayana pointed out how the Government had given the nod for regularising in a phased manner, the services of an estimated 20,000 conductors and drivers, waiving the motor vehicle tax for non-operation during the recent strike in the Seemandhra region and more recently, the sanction of 27 per cent of basic pay as interim relief. A strike resulted in inconvenience for the public, embarrassment to the Government and was contrary to the employees’ interests, he said.
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A hike in diesel price of Re. 1 meant an additional burden of about Rs. 65 crore he said, going on to add however, that an increase of 0.10 km per limit of diesel amounted to a saving of Rs. 65 crore. If the mileage improved by just 0.01 km, it meant a savings of Rs. 6.5 crore. APSRTC’s Managing Director J. Purnachandra Rao wanted the drivers, mechanics and driving instructors who received the awards to motivate at least three colleagues to work better and conserve fuel.
HPCL’s Regional Manager A.P. Panda described the awards as a small step by the corporation to recognise the efforts of the APSRTC, to the national cause of conserving fuel.