Government firm on part privatisation

Hyderabad: The state government appears to be firm in its decision to go in for part privatisation of the TSRTC.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who discussed the report submitted by the three-member committee headed by Sunil Sharma for over four hours, said that it would not be advisable to scarp the corporation completely but could go for part privatisation.

The CM felt that there was a need to bring in discipline in the corporation and see that it comes out of red and makes a turn around by becoming a profit-making organisation.

A situation should arise where the corporation can give bonus to its employees. At the same time, the Chief Minister said that there was no question of taking back those who failed to report for duty by 6 pm on Saturday.

He said there was no need even to issue individual letters to over 48,000 employees since they are deemed to have left the job on their own.

The new formula worked out by the Chief Minister is that out of total of 10,400 buses owned by RTC, 50 per cent of them that is 5,200 buses will be directly operated by RTC.

Thirty per cent of buses will be run as hired buses directly under the supervision of the RTC and the remaining 20 per cent will be given to private operators as stage carriers with the condition that they will have operate even in routes of Palle Velugu buses.

The ticket rates for all buses will be the same as that of RTC buses. Any hike in tariff can be made only when RTC would enhance its tariff. He also said that all passes which are in existence will be valid and in future too the pass system would continue and the government would bear the subsidy amount.

He said such firm decisions had to be taken only because of the adamant attitude of unions. "Their attitude had remained the same irrespective of the government in power.

The unions are not allowing the management to take decisions to pull the corporation out of red. No corporation can behave the way they like. Even agitations cannot be held without the government's permission," he said.

The CM said only 1,200 employees are there in RTC and hence the union members have no right to stop the buses or agitate.

Firm action as per law would be taken if they resort to agitation or violence, KCR said. In future, the RTC will not have any unionism, the Chief Minister reiterated.

It is learnt that even if the employees go to court and get an order that they should be taken back as was done in Tamil Nadu, the government would reduce the number of employees in a phased manner. But the Chief Minister is confident that the courts would turn down the plea of the unions.

It is of firm opinion that unless privatisation in RTC takes place and the services are operated on commercial basis, things will not improve.