ADILABAD: Work pressure is taking its toll on drivers in the State Road Transport Department (TSRTC). Late on Monday night, RTC employee W Vasanth went into cardiac arrest while driving a bus. The bus rammed into a tree on the side of a road, injuring seven of its passengers. Vasanth did not survive. This is far from an isolated incident. Last month, two drivers from Nirmal depot were killed after a bus they were driving had an accident and turned turtle in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh.
Staff shortage
Since 2014, TSRTC has reportedly hired very few drivers. This, juxtaposed with the fact that more than 5,000 drivers and conductors have retired from service in the last decade. There is a shortage of at least 30 drivers in each of the six depots in Adilabad district while the bus routes have not changed much. Drivers often have to work for long and gruelling hours, causing great damage to their health.
Staff and Workers Federation (SWF) regional secretary M Bheem Rao told Express that if a driver falls sick, and needs to take a couple of days off, he has to be checked by the Corporation’s doctor.