Privatisation of TGSRTC is secret agenda of Congress government, says BRS leader Puvvada

He pointed out that the Warangal depot had already been handed over to the JBM company and that plans were underway to privatize depots in Suryapet, Nalgonda and Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Stating that Congress government was moving forward with a secret agenda to privatise the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC), former Minister and BRS leader Puvvada Ajay Kumar said the BRS would strongly oppose such moves.

Addressing a news conference here on Tuesday along with MLC Seri Subhash Reddy and former Corporation chairman C. Rakesh Kumar, he said that the government was planning to privatize depots under the guise of introducing electric buses. During the BRS regime, 500 electric buses were operated through the Olectra company, and 600 more were purchased through the RTC.

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Though the RTC was not put on a profitable path, losses were minimized, and a bill to merge the RTC with the government was introduced in the Assembly, but even after a year, the Congress government had failed to complete the merger process and was now replacing RTC buses with private electric buses, thereby privatizing depots, Ajay Kumar said.

He pointed out that the Warangal depot had already been handed over to the JBM company and that plans were underway to privatize depots in Suryapet, Nalgonda and Hyderabad.

He also noted that the Congress government had not purchased new buses or made new appointments in the RTC. It had stopped compassionate appointments also. He asserted that the BRS would fight to protect the RTC and accused the government of trying to withdraw from public transportation.

He warned that if depots were filled with private electric buses, the RTC would lose control over them. He also criticized the government for not explaining how free bus travel for women had benefited the RTC.

MLC Seri Subhash Reddy expressed concerns about the safety of RTC employees, stating that each RTC bus employed six staff members and that the introduction of private buses posed a threat to their job security.

He accused the government of attempting to sell valuable RTC properties and halting new appointments. He urged RTC employees to remain vigilant and accused the government of harassing RTC union leaders with false cases.