ANANTAPUR: The assurance of Minister for Panchayat Raj and Endowments J.C. Diwakar Reddy has failed to prevent the management of APSRTC to wind up operations of its Gooty depot in Anantapur district. The depot was shut down on the last day of 2006 and it ceased to function from the New Year's Day.

In a study of loss-making depots, the Research and Development wing of APSRTC had shortlisted Gooty depot among those to be shut down in 2005. However, constant pressure by employees' unions has delayed the inevitable for more than six months. But the final nail in the coffin of Gooty depot was hammered a fortnight ago.

Staff, buses shifted

Protests by employees' unions and an all-party committee had little impact on the RTC management. "Buses of the Gooty depot have been transferred to different depots and the staff is also being adjusted in other depots," M.N. Prakash Rao, Anantapur Regional Manager of RTC told The Hindu .

Drivers, conductors, mechanics and others were given a choice to opt three places of preference and all such staff has already been adjusted to other depots. Those who did not give their options are yet to be adjusted, the Regional Manager said.

Austerity measures have helped the depot come back on the rails of profit making in the current financial year. "The depot has earned a profit of Rs. 35 lakhs from April to December 2006 without subsidy. Even with subsidy, the profit was Rs. 26 lakhs," Mr. Prakash Rao explained, when asked about the recent performance of the depot.

Irrespective of the profit, it could still run into losses, as the revenue would slump towards the financial year-end, he says.The depot earned Rs. 2.5 lakhs to Rs. 3 lakhs proft a day till it was wound up.

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