Congress TS MPs meet Gadkari; ask Centre to look into RTC issue

Hyderabad: Telangana Congress MPs, TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy (Nalgonda), Komatireddy Venkatreddy (Bhongir) and A Revanth Reddy (Malkajgiri) on Tuesday expressed deep anguish and agony at the inhuman manner in which RTC employees were being treated allegedly by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and other officers like RTC MD Sunil Sharma.

They met Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari at his office and urged that the Central government immediately intervene into the RTC issue.

Earlier the Congress MPs tried to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the RTC issue. However, the PMO said that the appointment might be arranged on Wednesday.

In his meeting with Gadkari, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Central government holds 33 per cent share in the RTC and therefore, it was its duty to protect the institution and employees.

He said nearly 50,000 employees have rendered services for several decades and the RTC buses operate services in all rural and remote areas. Therefore, he said that the Central government could not abandon the institution.

He urged Nitin Gadkari to play pro-active role in resolving the issue.

Responding to the request made by Congress MPs, the Union Minister assured that he would convene a meeting on Thursday. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Chief Minister was neither resolving the demands raised by RTC employees nor allowing the workers to re-join duties unconditionally.

"The Chief Minister's directions to the RTC management not to take back the employees only shows his cruelty, inhuman attitude and vindictiveness which is rarely seen in public life in India. What the CM trying to do?

Is he trying to drive nearly 50,000 families to suicide?" he asked. The Congress MP said the Chief Minister came to power on the promise of providing a job to every household.

" The CM not only failed to fulfil this promise, but now he is removing existing jobs of RTC employees," he said.