The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Damaged RTC buses paraded

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 31, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Damaged RTC buses paraded

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, JAN. 30. Grotesque skeletons with bones sticking out or bodies with rigor mortis set in -- the damaged buses of the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation in the recent violence exactly looked that and more. Buses with shattered glass, cushions hanging out and burnt out carriages.

It was certainly not a pretty sight and quite a shocking one for people venturing out on Sunday morning as the RTC management took out a procession of 36 such buses which took the hits when the Telugu Desam activists decided to take to the streets after their MLA, Paritala Ravi, was killed.

"We do not belong to any caste or community... we have nothing to do with politics... do we have to be punished during every protest... we take your children safely to school and back, why target us... should we suffer if any section of the society is angry... we are public property and our job is to serve you... what crime have we done to be targeted... "

With appeals like these strung in front and on the sides, the damaged buses, some even came from Nizamabad, Khammam and Warangal, were taken out from the Jubilee Bus Station to Mahatma Gandhi Imlibun bus terminus via Paradise, Tank Bund, Basheerbagh and Abids traversing through some of the usually busy thoroughfares. There were a few minor traffic jams but it only provided an opportunity to the RTC personnel with black badges to convey their plea to spare their vehicles to the startled people.

Awareness drive

"This is to bring about awareness among people to spare RTC buses. We belong to no individual or political party. It is the poor who are hit hard when buses are damaged and we ferry close to 10 lakh passengers everyday. We believe we are doing a social service and this is people's property," said the APSRTC Managing Director, Gautam Kumar.

The entire RTC administration rallied behind the parade with the RTC MD himself in the forefront. The new zonal Chairman, Sanjeeva Reddy, accompanied him. The union leaders too joined hands and many employees followed behind their MD carrying placards and raising slogans to `Save RTC'.

A cultural troupe was on hand to sing along the message. Top brass of the traffic police was present in full strength all through the route to regulate the vehicular movement.

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