Prod to engineering colleges to ferry passengers

Hyderabad: As soon as the RTC strike began 12 days ago, the Transport department has asked engineering colleges that were already closed for Dasara holidays, to deploy their buses for public transportation.

Nearly 15 to 20 per cent colleges including those belonging to TRS nethas and elected representatives responded and operated their buses, before and after the festival, to ferry passengers to different destinations.

However, a fresh proposal has been put up before them to operate their buses even after academic classes are set to begin in all engineering colleges from October 21 onwards.

Colleges are being given options to contribute their buses, in nearest routes around their colleges, between 10 am and 4 pm, when all the students and staff are engrossed in academic sessions and activities.

During this time, buses will be parked in college premises and authorities want to make use of buses and their driver services for public transportation.

The other option being given is to operate buses for nearly three hours after 6 pm when the buses complete their duty of dropping students and staff back to their homes.

Contributing buses during morning hours is almost ruled out as engineering colleges buses will start moving to different locations very early to pick up students and staff and ensure their arrival at college between 9 to 10 am every day.

However, engineering college managements are yet to respond as October 21 is five to six days away and colleges are pinning hopes that a solution to RTC strike might be arrived by that time.

"We have not taken any decision as of now.

It is up to the individual colleges to decide on this. Colleges belonging to ruling party leaders deputed their buses and drivers on public transportation duty for the last ten days and they might have no options to continue contributing for few hours every day if strike extends beyond October 21," said, chairman of an engineering college, who did not wish to be quoted.