Telangana State Road Transport Corporation Vice-Chairman and Managing Director (MD) V. C. Sajjanar lauded the staff for their hard work and said that Corporation’s revenues were affected on account of the pandemic, and pushed for the organisation’s ‘self-reliance’.
The Indian Police Service officer took charge as the VC and MD on Friday, and only hours later interacted with the media. He expressed pride in taking over the reins of the transport juggernaut and pointed out that several of his predecessors, who were at the helm of affairs, were IPS officers.
Taking questions from the media, Mr. Sajjanar said that the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard several sectors and that the transport sector was no exception. He said that railways, aviation, as well as road transport were affected. The transport juggernaut, he said, was losing around ₹ 8 crore per day on account of the pandemic and other factors, such as the continuous increase in diesel and spare parts prices.
Mr. Sajjanar said that despite these adverse conditions, TSRTC officers and staff have risen to the occasion to perform their duties well. Bearing testimony to this is the fact that the Corporation not only transported ‘guest’ workers when the pandemic was raging, but also carried oxygen cylinders to those in need.
He listed the priorities with the first being self-reliance, meaning generating revenue through ticket sales. The second, he said, was ‘customer satisfaction’, meaning the comfort of passengers is paramount, and finally, the welfare around 48,000 TSRTC staff. He pointed out that TSRTC Welfare Board would diligently look into grievances of staff. “Definitely, one-by-one we will address these problems,” he said and added that officers were well-prepared to find solutions.
Explaining the status of revenue generation, Mr. Sajjanar said that while TSRTC’s Parcel, Cargo and Courier service, which was launched over a year ago, has been doing well in terms of generating revenue, this alone is not enough. He underscored that a thorough study of the working of the organisation would be embarked upon, action plans formulated, and each issue would be dealt with one after the other. Bus routes too would be studied and solutions would be arrived at, he said.
Mr. Sajjanar encouraged the public to avail the service of the TSRTC. “Your safety is our responsibility. Please use RTC to reach (your destination) safely,” he said.
