Congress Accuses TSRTC Of Forcing Crew To Commit Suicides

Former minister & ex-Leader of Opposition of the Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir today accused the TSRTC management of harassing the drivers, conductors and other staff of the corporation which even drove one of them to suicide.

Shabbir Ali, along with other Congress leaders, visited the residence of Bandi Swamy Goud, an RTC driver from Kamareddy district, who committed suicide on Saturday allegedly due to harassment by the management.

He met Goud's wife Sirisha and other family members, and offered condolences besides giving some financial assistance.

The family members told Shabbir Ali that Goud was suffering from health problems for the past few days, primarily due to increased workload. Although his health had deteriorated on Saturday, he was being pressurised by the management to report for duty. Unable to bear the harassment, Goud committed suicide. He also left a suicide note accusing the RTC authorities of abetting him to take the extreme step.

Shabbir Ali spoke to Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar over the telephone and demanded justice for the family of Goud. He demanded that the State government pay a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the family members.

He also spoke to TSRTC Chairman Bajireddy Govardhan and demanded that Goud's wife Sirisha be given a job in the RTC as she needed to take care of two small children and other family members.

He also demanded that stern action be taken against the TSRTC officials who had forced Goud to take the extreme step.

Shabbir Ali said that Goud's suicide was not an isolated incident. He said that hundreds of TSRTC employees were being harassed by the management to work extra hours without any additional pay. On refusal, the employees were being warned of actions like dismissal or suspension.

He lamented that instead of filling up the vacancies the RTC management was putting additional workload on the existing staff, and demanded that the State government direct the TSRTC management to improve the working conditions and ensure proper medical care for the entire staff.

He also said that the management should not force the drivers, conductors or other staff to report for duty when they were unhealthy.