Passengers to feel the pinch as Telangana RTC hikes fares across buses

The fares were revised to rescue the ailing TSRTC, which has incurred a debt of Rs 5000 crore.
Passengers to feel the pinch as Telangana RTC hikes fares across buses
Passengers to feel the pinch as Telangana RTC hikes fares across buses

The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) on Monday announced revised bus fares. As per the revised rates, the minimum fare in all the city-ordinary buses has been revised to Rs 10, an increase of Rs 5. The minimum fare in Metro Deluxe is fixed at Rs 15, while previously it was Rs 10.

Bus pass for student general bus pass (monthly) has been hiked from Rs 130 to Rs 165 and Rs 390 to Rs 495 (quarterly), a hike of 127%.

Meanwhile, the minimum in Express bus is Rs 15, for Deluxe it is Rs 20, Super Deluxe at Rs 25, Rajadhani, Vajra, Garuda and Garuda AC at Rs 35, and Vennela sleeper at Rs 70.

The last fare revision by TSRTC was in 2016. The fares were revised after the TSRTC incurred a debt of Rs 5000 crore. The TSRTC has been cash-strapped and not been in a position to give salaries to its employees. Adding to the financial woes, the employees went on a 52-day strike beginning in October, demanding the merger of the TSRTC with the government. The strike resulted in heavy losses to the Corporation. 

However, after the strike was called-off, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao asked all the 48,000-odd employees to return to work, and said that the losses would be recovered after revising the fares. The Chief Minister on Sunday, hosted a lunch for the TSRTC employees and offered many more sops.

 During an interaction with selected employees in Hyderabad, KCR announced that salaries for the strike period will also be paid to the employees.

It was a complete u-turn as only last month, the Chief Minister had declared that over 48,000 employees had 'dismissed themselves' by going on an 'illegal' strike and not resuming duties before the expiry of the deadline set by the government.

The interaction on Sunday was seen by many as an attempt to isolate the leaders of employees' unions as KCR had blamed them for misleading the employees and pushing them in a state of uncertainty and the state-owned organization further deep into losses.

IANS inputs

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com