Resume RTC Buses, Metro In City, Demands Congress

The Congress on Monday demanded that the Telangana government take measures to resume the public transport system in the state, particularly in Hyderabad.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) spokesperson Syed Nizamuddin said that the state government was not considering the problems being faced by people, especially the poor and the middle classes, due to closure of public transport in Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

"The closure of public transport in March was essential to prevent the spread of Covid-19. However, in view of changed circumstances when many other services have been restored as part of Unlock 1 & 2, the state government should consider restarting public transport in a regulated and controlled form, so as to enable people to reach their places of work/business," he said.

ELaborating further, Nizamuddin said that almost all commercial establishments had resumed their activities since July 1 while following the Covid-19 guidelines, but the employees working for those establishments were unable to travel to their offices or shops due to the closure of public transport.

"People owning a four-wheeler or two-wheeler can travel to their offices without any problems. Those earning high salaries can also afford to hire a cab or an auto-rickshaw. But there are lakhs of people in Hyderabad who neither own a vehicle nor can afford hiring an auto-rickshaw or a cab on a daily basis. Such people are unable to get to work. Thus, the absence of public transport has left lakhs of people jobless since the lockdown," he said.

"While it is true that people must stay at home to keep themselves and their loved ones safe from Covid-19, this is also the reality that they might die of hunger if they don't come out for work. The state government needs to work out a solution wherein people have access to affordable and safe public transport," he said.

The Congress leader said that when the state government could permit inter-district bus services, it should also consider resuming the services of the RTC buses and the Metro Rail by imposing some conditions. Some rules could be framed allowing only half or one-third of the seating capacity to be used, and the government could agree to compensate for the losses to the RTC and the Metro for a month or so.