Making it clear that the Telangana Political JAC will extend its cooperation to fight along with the RTC unions, JAC Chairman Prof. Kodandaram has asked the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has to come forward with an action plan to save the RTC.
Addressing the meeting held at Sundaraiah Vignana Bhavan here on Wednesday, Kodandaram said that the role of RTC in Telangana movement was unforgettable. The government has to concentrate on arrears of the RTC, he said. He said that there was an urgent need to divide the RTC as per law. There was a need to control the corporate sector in transport sector, he said and advised the RTC workers to question the government’s action plan to control the private operators directly. The government has to simplify the tax system in RTC and asked the RTC management to hold discussions with the RTC workers unions and solve the problems.
Making it clear that JAC will extend its support, Kodandaram said that JAC will talk to RTC management on the problems of the employees. Prof. K Nageshwar said that there were many ways to run the RTC in benefits. The RTC was incurring 29 percent of loses due to private buses running against the law. He opined that RTC will get Rs.1000 crore benefit in case the government stopped private buses. He said that the commuter traveling in RTC bus was paying more tax than the commuter traveling in aero plane. He questioned the government to tell as to why it imposing taxes on RTC where there were no taxes on schools and universities.
Chukka Ramaiah opined that it was not correct to compare the public sector with private sector. It was not possible to provide good facilities to the public if one look the RTC in view of benefits and loses. Prof. Haragopal said that the RTC has to give top priority to the public interest rather benefits.
Justice Chandra Kumar said that the Chief Minister was not giving appointment to anybody though the latter assumed office two years ago. He asked Chief Minister to conduct review meeting with the RTC employees’ union leaders and workers but not with the officials on RTC. Political JAC leaders Pittala Ravinder and Venkat Reddy said that Telangana changed nothing though the separate state was formed two years ago. The present government was behaving with the RTC unions similar to past governments, he said. JAC leader Purushotham said that it was not proper to invite a single union for the discussions. He questioned the government as to how the RTC will run in benefits if the government continued a retired person as RTC MD. Telangana RTC JAC convener K Raji Reddy said that the workers were not responsible for loses in RTC. He said that the government and RTC management has to own the responsibility of loses. He said that they will take up strike on June 23 protesting against the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s assurances of salary arrears, DA arrears and encashment were not fulfilled till date.
The meeting on ‘RTC Labha Nastalu’ was held under the leadership of RTC JAC Chairman Kamal Reddy. JAC co-conveners Ravinder Reddy, Abraham, Suresh, B Yadagiri, Venkatachary, Treasurer V Muralidhar, Employees Union leaders K Bhaskar Rao, Ch Narsaiah, D Gopal, Ram Reddy, J Raghavulu, MA Majid, S Shankar, Mallesh, Rajender participated in the meeting. (NSS)