TSRTC Will Not Be Privatized: Telangana Government

The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) will not be privatized as it is an asset of the common man in the state, Finance Minister Etela Rajender said today.

Launching modernization works for the Karimnagar Bus Stand worth Rs 10 crores along with Transport Minister P Mahender Reddy, TSRTC Chairman Somarapu Satyanarayana, ZP Chairperson T Uma and others, Rajender said, "Since the TSRTC is an asset of the people, we will not privatize it under any circumstances. The TRS government offered Rs 1,000 crore to the RTC to protect its interests. We will continue to spend adequate funds to modernize the depots and improve facilities for the commuters," he said.

The Finance Minister said that it was estimated that Rs 40 crores were needed for the modernization of the RTC bus stands with all expected facilities. "Initially we will release Rs 14 crores for the purpose, and take up the remaining works in a phased manner. We are focusing on developing every department and offering the best services to the people," he said, and asked the RTC management to strive to provide better transport facilities to the villages which were deprived of them so far.

Transport Minister Mahender Reddy said that the RTC was incurring losses of about Rs 1.5 crores every day. He said that 90 lakh people were currently utilizing RTC buses to reach their destinations, and steps were being taken to improve connectivity to the rural areas. Some 1,200 villages had no bus facility yet, Reddy said. He added that though the government had offered Rs 10 crores for modernization works, they had sought Rs 4 crores more.

Somarapu Satyanarayana said that losses of Rs 1,000 crores were being incurred due to low occupancy rates in RTC buses. While losses of Rs 500 crores were being incurred by the Palle Velugu services, losses of Rs 500 crores were being incurred due to the city buses.

"We are planning to increase revenue through other means," he said.

Later, the ministers also planted saplings at Jagtial as part of the third phase of the Haritha Haram initiative.