ONOP to deal a heavy blow to already cash-strapped TSRTC?

Hyderabad: The 'One Nation One Permit' (ONOP) rule brought out by the Centre is likely to affect the earnings of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation as the private vehicles can also carry passengers, denting the chances of the already cash-strapped State-owned road transport corporation.

The TSRTC union leaders said that with the new rule of ONOP, the Centre goes against the spirit of Motor Vehicle Act rules. The yellow number plate vehicles only had the permission to carry passengers, but with the new 'one nation one permit', the white plate vehicles can also carry passengers, said the union leaders.

The All India Tourist Permit Rules comes into effect from April 1. Generally, all the State governments collect tax from the private vehicles when they come into the State. But, now the vehicles will have to pay a one-time annual fee and operate the vehicles throughout the year.

The road transport corporations used to have inter-state agreements to operate buses in other States. For a non-AC vehicle of less than nine seats, there will be an annual tax of Rs 15,000 (as tourist permit) and the vehicle can travel in any part of the country. The Centre has announced that it would share the revenue coming from tourist permit fee.

The Union leaders said that many would come into the field with low permit rates and without any inter-state permit agreements. "It appears as if people are going to benefit with the Central government's new ONOP.

But in fact, the government is supporting the private players, who are not going to transfer any benefit to the passengers. Even now the fares of private vehicles are more than that of the RTC. This will affect not only the TSRTC, but also other RTCs," said Hanumanthu Mudiraj of TSRTC Telangana Jathiya Mazdoor Union (TJMU).

The union leaders said that till now passengers used to travel in RTC buses, but now they will travel in any vehicle as these private players will run the buses as stage carriages. The Corporation could sustain the competition with private operators till now with the rule that contract carriages are not allowed to run as stage carriages, the union leader said.

Former trade union leader and former director of APSRTC, M Nageshwar said that this initiative would result in risk for the passengers.

The yellow plate vehicles would have to undergo fitness tests, but with white plate vehicles allowed to carry passengers, their travel would be risky as there is no provision of fitness test for private vehicles.