RTC transports water in drums to depots

Buses ferry passengers but the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) is now using the buses to transport water in drums to its depots. The situation has come to such a pass that in several depots the public drinking water taps have dried up and the RO (reverse osmosis) plants gone kaput.

While the TSRTC authorities insist on the sale of branded drinking water bottles it is now grappling with shortage of potable water and is supplying water in drums. The staff in Kushaiguda depot was seen supplying water in drums as the taps dried up in the premises.

The RTC authorities have started sale of Bislery water bottles in the depots from January onwards in an attempt to curb the illegal sale of spurious water but supplying water in old drums could be putting the health of the staff in danger.

As per the rule, the corporation should provide drinking water taps in the depots apart from the packaged drinking water, for the passengers as well as the staff including drivers and conductors.

To overcome the problem of shortage of water taps, the corporation with the help of some philanthropic organisations and funding from public representatives including MLAs and MLCs had set up RO (reverse osmosis) plants. However, at many places these RO plants are of no use because of non-maintenance.

RO plants were set up in MGBS and Rathifile with the help of an MLC, but now there is no RO plant visible in MGBS and the plant in Rathifile bus station was not functioning. Similar is the case with 50 per cent of the bus depots where ROs are installed. Sources said that there is a sever water problem at the change over points (the buses do not go to the depots but duties of the staff change at one place) and there is no water for toilets at the Rathifile bus station.

Meanwhile, the High Court while referring to the lack of drinking water facility at Karimnagar bus station on Tuesday, made it clear that it was the basic responsibility of the TSRTC to provide drinking water facility to passengers at its bus stands and directed it to take steps in this regard. The court had remarked that not all passengers could afford to buy packaged drinking water and it is the duty of the TSRTC to provide a drinking water facility.

However, the RTC Greater Hyderabad Zone executive director A Purushottam Naik said that there was no shortage of drinking water in the depots. He said that there were 28 depots in the Greater Hyderabad Zone and all the depots have drinking water facility. He also said that apart from providing water to the passengers, the corporation was providing butter milk to the conductors on second shift duty.

By K Chandrashekar