Telangana Chief Minister KCR says, 'No talks with TSRTC employees'

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao announced that there will be no talks with Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) employees, who are on strike demanding a merger with the government. A Government statement also declared that the RTC will not be merged with the State government.

‘RTC will not be merged with the government’

"Under any circumstances, RTC will not be merged with the government and the government will not have any talks with those who went on strike," KC Rao's office said in a statement on October 6.

The Chief Minister exclaimed that RTC was incurring losses to the tune of Rs 1,200 crore and Rs 5,000 crore debts coupled with ever-rising diesel prices. "When RTC is under such a bad situation, there is no question of having any compromise," said the statement. 

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RTC to be turned into a profit-making organisation

The statement further added that Rao has announced a new beginning for which RTC should be turned into a profit-making organisation. "Rao has announced that a totally new beginning would be made for the first time in the history of RTC. As part of this, RTC should be turned into a profit-making organisation and for the existence of the RTC certain actions and measures are necessary," it said. He has also instructed 2,500 private buses to be hired as an immediate measure. 

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New employees to be hired

The statement also mentioned new employees who will be hired will be given an undertaking that they will not join any unions. The new recruits will be put under certain conditions and they will also have a probationary period.

"It was decided that in the buses to be run by RTC, fifty per cent would be private buses and the rest would be of the RTC. If measures and actions are taken in this direction, buses will run efficiently and the RTC will become profitable in two to three years", the CM's statement read.
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New committee to be formed

A review meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Rao at Pragati Bhavan on Sunday. Ministers Puvvada Ajay Kumar, Vemula Prashanth Reddy and several senior government officials had participated in the meeting. A new committee was formed under the chairmanship of Sunil Sharma and Sandeep Sultania, RTC Executive Directors and Joint Transport Commissioner Panduranga Nayakulu to discuss the matter. The Committee is set to submit its proposal on Monday.

Why the strike

Around 50,000 employees of TSRTC(Telangana State Road Transport Corporation) have gone on indefinite strike since midnight on Friday across Telangana. The employees are demanding the merger of RTC with the state government. They are also demanding revision of their salaries pending since April 2017. They want fresh recruitment in the corporation to reduce the workload on the employees.

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(With inputs from ANI)