Only Babus for TSRTC top post

 ​Hyderabad: Telangana government is likely to appoint a new managing director for the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC). Either an IAS or IPS officer is likely to take over as managing director of the loss-making Corporation.

There has been a debate among the workers’ unions about change of guard in the corporation to bring in discipline among the workers. During the undivided Andhra Pradesh, IPS officers used to head the Corporation as managing directors. Even after Telangana was formed, IPS officer N Sambasiva Rao was the MD for the combined Corporation. 

However, after the Corporation was divided into Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Sambasiva Rao was shifted to APSRTC. G V Ramana Rao, who was the executive director at that time, was made the JMD and later MD in 2015. Rao’s term was extended and presently the term of the MD has not been extended by the government raising speculation that he might be replaced soon. 

Transport Department Principal Secretary Sunil Sharma has been given temporary responsibility as MD of the Corporation. The workers feel that the CM was unhappy with the Corporation not getting profits even after giving good fitment to the workers. The Chief Minister had a daylong meeting with the RTC officials during June 2016 and suggested them to find ways and means to bring the Corporation into profits. 

However, the Corporation could not get into profits even after the officials tried to concentrate generating revenues through mini-buses, petrol bunks on its lands and other initiatives. According to the union leaders the present MD is a soft-spoken person and as a result some union leaders take advantage of it. 

Even a small order of giving additional duties to the driver and conductor did not go down well with the recognised union, which opposed the decision stating that the corporation was increasing work load on the workers, said a union leader.    

Some of the union leaders feel that if IPS or IAS officer work for the corporation there would be discipline and accountability among the workers. “If an IPS officer is appointed as the MD, he would not yield to the pressure of the union,” said a union leader. The Union leader pointed out that after appointment of Surendra Babu as MD of APSRTC, some good decisions had come for the workers in the Corporation. 

It is learnt that the government is considering GHMC commissioner Somesh Kumar, who is said to have brought discipline among the officials in the Corporation to take over the new responsibility. Among the IPS officers, the names doing rounds include Rajiv Trivedi and Rajiv Ratan. It is learnt that the government would soon take a decision.