RTC JAC, BJP cadre stage stir seeking merger with government

Hyderabad: Tension prevailed at Bus Bhavan here on Saturday when the RTC workers and BJP leaders staged a big dharna, demanding to accept their demands mainly the merger of RTC with the State government.

Alerted police foiled the BJP leaders and RTC JAC attempt to barge into the RTC head office and took them into their custody. In the scuffle between agitating workers and police, BJP State president K Laxman received a minor injury and fainted.

The BJP leader was immediately shifted to a nearby hospital. Earlier, Laxman led the protest rally from RTC Kalyana Mandapam hall to RTC head office.

RTC JAC convenor Ashwathama Reddy, other RTC union leaders and workers were also taken into preventive custody and shifted them to nearby police stations.

The huge gathering of BJP workers and RTC employees witnessed a war like situation at the busy RTC crossroads as heavy deployment of police personnel blocked the entire area for a while. All the arrested leaders were released in the evening.

Speaking to newsmen while undergoing treatment, Laxman alleged that Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao conspired to weaken the RTC by inviting private investments in a phased manner.

The neighbouring AP government merged the APSRTC, which is in deep financial crisis to safeguard the interests of the employees and revive the corporation with the support

of government, he stated. In the case of Telangana RTC, the TS government is trying to destabilise the corporation and handover the crores of worth RTC assets to the private agencies, he criticised.