APSRTC bifurcation likely next week

• The monolithic organisation came into existence in 1958
• Guinness World Record recognised it as the world’s biggest transport establishment
• It operates a fleet of 22,000 buses with 1.20 lakh employees
• As many as 24,000 of a total of 26,000 villages are connected in TS, AP

Hyderabad: The world’s biggest monolithic Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is all set to be split into two in a week. The 56-year-old APSRTC will be bifurcated to facilitate emergence of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC).

Although the State was bifurcated into Andhra Pradesh and Telangana State in June, APSRTC remained united because of tricky issue of distributing assets between the two states. The employees affiliated to recognised trades union of the two states are understood to have come to an agreement over distribution of assets.

The APSRTC management has constituted a committee comprising the Executive Directors and representatives of the employees to gather data region-wise. Even as the committee is busy collecting data, the management has set the division of the APSRTC into motion.

The bifurcation of the APSRTC has been stalled following the controversy over distribution of assets worth over Rs 40,000 crore. Most of these assets are concentrated in Hyderabad. The APSRTC is facing ticklish situation in the aftermath of bifurcation of the State. The Corporation suffered immeasurable loss during agitations organised for the united state and separate Telangana. This biggest Corporation came into being in 1958 under the stewardship of the chief minister Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy. He had pushed ahead creating such a biggest monolithic organisation despite several hurdles placed in the way. The Guinness World Record recognised the APSRTC as the organisation having largest fleet of buses and one of the largest employer. It has a fleet of 22,000 buses, 9,000 in Telangana State and 13,000 in Andhra Pradesh. It has so far been able to connect 24,000 of total 26,000 villages in the two states. As many as 1.20 lakh are on the rolls of the APSRTC in the two states. Of them, 58,000 are in Telangana State and 72,000 in Andhra Pradesh.

According to sources, the APSRTC possessed as many as 15,000 acres of vacant land and the value of this land alone is estimated to be worth around Rs 40,000 crore.

The Corporation remained the most thriving organisation till 1989. Later it slipped into the red because of various factors, including the government cutting off financial support to it and turning a blind eye to private transport operators running services on nationalised routes.