Are toilets a tall order for TSRTC depots?

​Hyderabad: Even as the State government has taken up Swachh Bharat campaign on a large scale, the actions of a section of the TSRTC staff, particularly those working in the Mehdipatnam bus depot, have been causing embarrassment to authorities as these employees continue to attend nature’s call in the open.

The larger question is: What if they have no choice? Still, following complaints, a task force has been set up to identify those indulging in such actions. All depot managers have been asked to initiate action against identified persons.

Greater Hyderabad Zone executive director A Purushottam Naik told The Hans India that separate toilets for ladies and gents were being maintained in each and every depot in the city. In addition, there were passenger amenities like public toilets for men and women, drinking water points and waiting rooms at major bus stations.

The RTC Greater Hyderabad zone has 28 depots and a fleet of over 3,800 buses. The zone operates buses covering about 9.74 lakh kilometres per day, transporting a total of 34.02 lakh commuters and earning Rs 31.68 per km.

Passengers allege that at the Mehdipatnam depot it is common to come across conductors who stop the bus and attend to nature’s call in the open. Passengers have no choice but to turn away their faces.

Lubna Sarwath, a social activist, said that it would be a depressing sight to see drivers and conductors attend to nature’s call in the open. According to her, the RTC employees’ grouse is that there are no toilet facilities for them at certain bus depots.

“If what the staff claims is correct, then one can imagine the plight of lady conductors,” she said. She demanded that the RTC authorities should provide public toilets at every bus stop. The corporation should go for bio toilets, she suggested.

G Vinod, a pharmacist who regularly travels by bus, said that if the claims of RTC were true, the authorities should find a solution to the problem, instead of punishing the staff.