The losses were leading to a growing case for closing down the service, the Telangana CM said.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao today expressed anguish at the recurring losses, lapses in service and the crew's plans for a strike despite the government conceding to a 43% fitment and regularization of contract personnel.
At a marathon meeting with the RTC officials of 10 districts on Friday, KCR said, "It is a shame that as many as 600 cases are being registered every month against the crew for wrong deeds and irregularities, and that only five of the 95 bus depots in the State are making profits. I don't understand why the TSRTC cannot press in its vehicles based on public demand and to places that are yet to be connected."
He expressed displeasure at the fact that though the government was doing everything sought by the employees, the TSRTC was incurring losses. The losses were leading to a growing case for closing down the service, he said.
KCR advised that the 56,000 crew, including the 1,000 management officials, all work in tandem to save the RTC. The government was ready to save the TSRTC which was a public sector unit, but the staff should own the responsibility to offer better services emulating private operators, he said.
"Though the Centre planned to extend permits to private operators, I opposed the proposal and wrote a letter to Prime Minister Modi to protect the public sector unit," he said.
The Chief Minister asked the officials to increase revenues by innovative thinking, starting with a study done for a total revamp of the corporation through a depot-wise plan, and simpler yet more profitable procedures adopted.
He stressed the need for extending TSRTC's services to all routes including pilgrim places based on public demand and needs. Dedicated services to pushkaralu, jataras, pilgrim centres, school/colleges, marriages, functions and private programs would yield higher revenues, he opined. He also asked the TSRTC to tie-up with the tourism sector to run buses to distant places. And he wanted mini-AC buses run on select routes including Warangal and Nizamabad on an experimental basis.
He said that the fleet ought to be run as per public needs, and with a focus on maintaining timeliness, increasing the occupancy ratio, goods transport, avoiding corruption and more publicity and advertisements.
"Unions, officials and crew should work together instead of in an environment of enmity and non-cooperation for the survival of the RTC," he said.