Pongal holidaymakers face a double whammy
HYDERABAD: Sankranti vacation is the time of the year when people head for their hometowns in large numbers. However, it can be quite a hassle this year, more than usual, if RTC employees go ahead with their plan of state-wide strike from January 3 to their demands.
However, a senior official hoped that staff unions will drop their strike plan. In addition to the RTC strike, private bus operators are in a dilemma over increasing services during the festival season owing to raids by transport officials.
Usually, towards the year-end and Sankranti, more buses are pushed into service from Hyderabad to various places by private operators in view of the big rush.
Daily, around 1,200 private ply within and outside the state. In November, bus operators have drastically cut down services to 10 percent of the usual operations. However, about 50 percent of the buses are running now.
After the bus fire in Mahbubnagar district in October which claimed 45 lives, officials of the transport department have been regularly inspecting private buses, which resulted in the seizure of more than 1,300 buses.
'Tickets are being booked in advance for the festive season, but we are not sure how many buses we are going to ply,' said H Subhash Chandra Bose, president, Andhra Pradesh Private Bus Operators Association.
Bose said road tax of `3,675 per seat for three months for inter-state permit and `2625 per seat for within the state is paid in advance. 'When our buses are seized, it will be for 10 days or more.
During that period, we lose daily revenue and the money paid as tax goes waste. Still, we have to pay salaries to drivers, cleaners etc. This results in big loss,' said Bose. The bus operators are trying to meet transport minister Botsa Satyanarayana to discuss the issue.
News Posted: 30 December, 2013
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