The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : PAC for reimbursement of RTC's losses

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 03, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

PAC for reimbursement of RTC's losses

By Our Special Correspondent

TIRUPATI, JAN. 2. The State's Legislative Committee on Public Undertakings is planning to recommend to the Government reimbursement of the APSRTC's losses it was suffering due to extension of concessions/passes to various categories of its commuters like students, etc.

Giving an indication to this effect, the PAC Chairman, N. Uthamkumar Reddy, said that it was becoming imperative for the Government to reimburse the concessions in view of the corporation's recurring losses -- Rs.300 crores last year alone.

Working reviewed

The Chairman, along with other members of the PAC, was closeted with the top brass of the various Government undertakings like the TTD, APSRTC, AP TRANSCO, SPDCL and AP Tourism Development Corporation and reviewed their working. The panel members also visited the RTC's Central Bus Station and its Alipiri depot here and studied the working of its reservation counters, dormitories, garage, canteens, etc.

Later talking to mediapersons, Mr Reddy said that the PAC would recommend to the Government ways and means of pulling the APSRTC out of the red and putting it on a strong financial footing by removing all the hurdles in its path. He cited in this connection the problem of illegal private operators whose fleets were causing a serious dent on the RTC's revenues and underscored the need to contain the menace.

According to a note submitted to the PAC by the RTC's Tirupati region, 350 jeeps and 55 vans were plying illegally in the district in addition to 16 contract carriages operating between Tirupati and Hyderabad and eight shuttling between Tirupati and Bangalore, a circuit with a high density of commuters.

Huge losses

Besides, no fewer than 300 jeeps (maxicabs) were operating on the Tirupati-Tirumala ghat road alone, the note said and pegged the overall loss to the region per day on account of the illicit operations at Rs.11.69 lakhs.

The RTC's National Mazdoor Union, its trade union arm, in a separate representation submitted to the PAC Chairman attributed the illicit private fleet movement to the indifferent attitude of the Motor Vehicles officials and made certain specific suggestions to bring down the losses.

The suggestions included slashing the MV taxes, reducing ST on diesel as fuel cost alone accounted for 34% of the corporation's operational cost.

Among the officials who participated in the review meeting were the District Collector, S.S. Rawat, TTD's Executive Officer, Ajeya Kallam, Joint EO, N. Mukteswara Rao, Managing Director of the APSPDCL, K. Ranganatham, TTD's Special Officer, A.V. Dharma Reddy, and the RTC's Regional Manager, S. Dharma Reddy.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh