Hyderabad: ASRTU to seek Centre support for loss-making TSRTC

Hyderabad: The Association of State Road Transport Undertakings (ASRTU) would be seeking financial assistance to the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) from the Union Transport Ministry in wake of the losses during the crisis.

Like several other organisations, TSRTC has also faced brunt of the lockdown conditions as buses remained in depots for almost two months. The corporation started services in the State except for Hyderabad. However, it is operating the buses by maintaining physical distancing and the response from passengers was also poor, as the average occupancy ratio in the buses was 40 per cent.

An Executive Director in the Corporation told The Hans India that, the Corporation was suffering a loss of Rs 400 crore including Rs 370 crore operational losses and Rs 30 crore other additional expenditure like sanitisation of buses and providing masks. "We have informed about the monthly losses to the corporation, to the ASRTU representatives. The ASRTU representatives would represent our problems to the Union Ministry of Transport. We are hopeful that we will get assistance," said the official.

The official also said that they informed the ASRTU team that they do not have the option of increasing fares. "Even though the buses are operated with less than 50 per cent occupancy, corporation had no option to increase the charges because the fares were increased recently. We are not getting a single rupee as income and looking for funds for paying off salaries to the staff," said the official.

The officials are hopeful that the Union government would extend waiver in taxes and would come to the rescue of the loss making corporation.

The ASRTU is an apex coordinating body working under the aegis of Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The organisation has 62 members, collectively operates 1,50,000 buses and serves 70 million passengers a day, in the country.

The ASRTU helps formulation of policies and facilitating their implementation, advocacy with ministry and government agencies, addressing issues of common interest in various interactive forums for the benefits of member undertakings.