HYDERABAD: Pushing the TSRTC into deep financial crisis further, two significant developments took place on Wednesday. The High Court ordered the RTC to pay `200 crore immediately to the RTC employees credit society. Justice A Rajasheker Reddy gave the order while dealing with a case pertaining to RTC utilising the CCS funds. The Court directed the RTC to pay `200 cr out of the total dues of `411 cr to the RTC Employees Thrift and Cooperative Society Limited. This order has been passed on the petition filed by the RTC thrift society.
In another development, State Transport Authority Secretary G Mamata Prasad served a notice to the RTC to pay `452.86 cr Transport Tax dues immediately to the government. The RTC is already in deep financial crisis and the ongoing strike has made matters worse. It has no money even to pay employees’ salaries. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao held a marathon review with officials on the developments that took place both in HC and also about his call to the striking employees to join duties.
The meeting reportedly discussed the government stand to be presented in the High Court on Thursday. The Chief Secretary will appear before HC tomorrow. After the prolonged meeting, the government did not make any announcement on the future of the RTC. According to sources, the government will take a stand on RTC only after witnessing the proceedings in the HC tomorrow.
Meanwhile, barely 116 Private-hire buses are on the roads now, even after the government had issued fresh tenders and several permits for close to 1,200 new buses. “We have given them a three-month deadline to give us BS IV buses which were registered after 2017. This will take time and so they have been given a 90-day deadline to bring in these buses. We can expect the whole fleet to be fully operational by December-January,” said a senior official from RTC.
