Hans News Service Hyderabad

TransportMinister Ponnam Prabhakar on Thursday said that the state government would soon announce the date for the trade union elections in the Telangana Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC).

The minister was responding to questions raised by several MLAs regarding the RTC during the Question Hour in the Assembly. Prabhakar said that while railways serve as a lifeline for the poor and middle class across the country, the RTC acts as a lifeline for the people of Telangana.

Telangana RTC buses cover approximately 30 lakh kilometres daily, transporting 65 lakh passengers to their destinations. He said that the election process for RTC labor unions is currently underway; once the elections conclude, representatives from the winning union will be included in the official committee to advance the merger process. He assured that careful steps were being taken to ensure that the difficulties encountered during RTC mergers in other states do not recur in Telangana.

The minister criticised the previous government for neglecting and undermining the RTC over the past decade. The minister recalled that after the Congress government assumed office on December 7, 2023, the 'Mahalakshmi' scheme was launched on December 9, providing free bus travel for women. He stated that the Mahalakshmi scheme not only reduced the financial burden on women but also revitalised the RTC. He added that following the scheme's implementation, bus occupancy and passenger footfall at bus stations have increased significantly.

The minister revealed that, till date, 347.47 crore women had availed themselves of free travel, saving a total of Rs 12,171 crore. He announced plans to introduce 2,200 electric buses in Hyderabad city under the PM E-Drive scheme. The mstated that CCTV cameras have already been installed in premium-category buses and electric buses operated by the RTC.

Responding to requests from pilgrims visiting the Yadadri temple, he assured that measures would be taken to ensure express buses halt at Vangara. The minister clarified that the government has no policy to hand over RTC lands to private individuals, stating instead that RTC assets would be safeguarded and utilised for the organisation's development.