RTC staff uneasy on future

Insiders say the TRS may benefit in Telangana due to lack of good alternatives, but employees are not finding any of the regional parties appealing due to a host of their unattended issues under their rule in the past.

The AP State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has 1.22 lakh employees and each of them is scared about the fate of the corporation reeling under losses of Rs 800 crore currently. “The common sentiment among employees is that the ruling parties over the last 15 years have only led the corporation into a financial soup due to wrong political decisions. The management has been harassing employees by keeping them off duty for long time and the wage revisions too were not implemented. There are a host of issues to be dealt with by whoever comes to power. Employees from both the regions, however, are feeling that there is no hope for them in the regional parties,” said Venkateshwar Rao, member of National Mazdoor Union of APSRTC.

Employees had been feeling that the past governments have taken decisions like increasing motor vehicles tax on buses and various bus pass concessions without paying for the concession amount to the APSRTC. These issues have now spiraled into such a big problem that the employees are worried about their future.

“Due to the APSRTC being ignored for several years by various political parties, even though Chandrababu Naidu is promising that he will do something for the APSRTC employees, employees are unable to believe it. As far as manifestos are concerned TDP, TRS or YSR Congress, none of these have mentioned anything about the APSRTC.

While in residual Andhra there is no other alternative than TDP or YSR Congress, in Telangana employees are looking at TRS favourably, in the absence of another option,” said President of APSRTC Staff and Workers Federation, R. Lakshmaiah.