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Rising mercury levels make dent in RTC coffers
Pushing the already cash-strapped public transport system from a frying pan into fire, the raising mercury levels are adversely impacting the collections of RTC with people choosing to remain indoors all along the day. The RTC along with other hire vehicles and auto rickshaws, which were making money earlier, are pushed into losses for the last one week with scorching temperatures forcing public t
Nalgonda: Pushing the already cash-strapped public transport system from a frying pan into fire, the raising mercury levels are adversely impacting the collections of RTC with people choosing to remain indoors all along the day. The RTC along with other hire vehicles and auto rickshaws, which were making money earlier, are pushed into losses for the last one week with scorching temperatures forcing public to remain off the roads for major part of the day.
The roads of the three districts Nalgonda, Suryapet and Yadadri are posing a deserted look between 12 noon to 4 pm, thereby severely affecting the transport business. Nalgonda RTC region consists of four depots Nalgonda, Miryalaguda, Devarakonda and Narketpalli in Nalgonda district, two depots, Suryapet and Kodad, in Suryapet district and Yadagirigutta depot in Yadadri district. As many as 743 buses of seven depots of Nalgonda region are rendering services to thousands of passengers to reach their destination regularly.
Speaking to The Hans India, RTC Nalgonda Regional Manager Vijaya Kumar informed that with scorching temperatures in three districts, the Occupancy Ratio (OR) of region in the last seven days had fallen to 4 per cent when compared to the OR in first week of corresponding year.
He informed that OR of four depots of Nalgonda district in the first week of April this year was 69.20 where as it was 71.62 in April, 2016. While OR in two depots of Suryapet in the first week of April of last year was 72.50, it was 67.60 this April. Also OR of Yadagirigutta depot of first week of April of last year was 69.27 when compared to the OR of 67.08 this year.
Meanwhile, as many as 40,000 unemployed youth of Nalgonda, Suryapet and Yadadri districts are running cars and auto-rickshaws for their livelihood.
Narsimha, owner-cum-driver of a cab, informed that cabs sector was severely affected as the people were staying indoors due to increase in temperatures for the last seven days and majority of cabs were forced stay in parking lots, he informed.
Ruing the situation, an auto driver Nagesh Naik of Bhongir town informed that he used to earn Rs 600 daily three weeks ago, whereas he was making Rs 300 for the last one week due to reduced passenger flow due to raising temperatures.
Deekonda Ravishankar
