Ponnam appeals to RTC employees to call off proposed protests

Hyderabad: Minster for Transport and BC Welfare Ponnam Prabhakar on Sunday appealed to RTC employees to call off their proposed protests, stating that the government is committed to protecting the organisation, ensuring employee welfare and safeguarding passenger safety.

Addressing the media here on Monday, the Minister said the government is positive towards the demands raised by RTC employees and urged them not to resort to agitation. “Under a people’s government, we are moving forward with the goal of strengthening the RTC while protecting the interests of workers and passengers,” he said.

He noted that under the leadership of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, the government launched the Mahalaxmi scheme within 48 hours of assuming office. RTC employees have been working continuously for the success of the scheme, he said, congratulating and thanking them for their efforts.

The Minister alleged that the previous government had weakened the RTC over the past 10 years and conspired to shut it down. He claimed that the corporation, which had been incurring heavy losses earlier, has been brought back on the path of profitability after the introduction of the Mahalaxmi scheme. The government, he added, has been releasing funds due to the RTC under the scheme from time to time.

Prabhakar said that the pay scale revision pending since March 2017 was implemented by the present government in March 2024 with a 21 per cent fitment, placing an annual burden of Rs 480 crore on the RTC. He also pointed out that no recruitment was undertaken in the RTC during the previous regime.

The government has now granted permission to fill 3,038 posts, of which recruitment for 2,000 posts is underway. The ongoing recruitment includes 1,000 drivers, 198 supervisors and 746 labourers. The process to recruit another 1,000 drivers will commence soon, he said. Additionally, 1,132 long-pending compassionate appointments have been taken up. The period for compassionate appointments, which earlier extended up to three years on contract, has been reduced to two years before regularisation.

The Minister further stated that bonds worth Rs 280 crore relating to the 2013 pay scale arrears have been cleared. After the formation of the present government, 2,646 new buses have been purchased. Of these, 152 buses are operating under the CERF scheme, while another 448 buses will be added soon.

On financial liabilities, he said that dues towards CCS stood at Rs 664.5 crore till March 2023 and have now been reduced to Rs 364.1 crore, with Rs 300 crore cleared over the past two years. Similarly, PF dues of Rs 1,355.4 crore as of March 2023 have been brought down to Rs 660.5 crore after payments of Rs 660.5 crore.

He said that earlier, monthly dues of Rs 25 crore towards CCS and Rs 45 crore towards PF were not being deposited regularly. Since assuming office, the government has been paying Rs 25 crore towards CCS and Rs 45 crore towards PF every month while simultaneously reducing outstanding arrears.

Stating that the previous government had pushed the RTC into crisis, Prabhakar asserted that the present government is reviving the organisation through timely financial support under the Mahalaxmi scheme. Reiterating that the government is sympathetic to workers’ demands, he urged employees to withdraw their protests to ensure that the public does not face inconvenience.