VIJAYAWADA: Talks between the APSRTC Employees’ Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the corporation’s management failed on Friday, with the employees’ union leaders insisting on the cancellation of tenders awarded to private operators for operating 1,450 electric buses.
JAC State conveners Y Srinivasa Rao and Palisetti Damodara Rao said the discussions were held with APSRTC Joint Managing Director Shiva Prasad at RTC House in Vijayawada. The JAC had served a notice on October 15 demanding the cancellation of the tenders issued on October 13.
The union leaders insisted that electric buses should be operated by APSRTC’s own staff, and opposed the privatisation of public transport services. However, the management said the decision had been taken by the government, and that cancelling the tenders was not possible, according to the JAC leaders.
The management also stated that work to reopen the closed depots at Vidyadharapuram, Guntur-II, Nellore-II and Mangalam would begin after the election Model Code of Conduct ended, with tenders to be issued for the purpose.
The JAC said employees’ protests wearing black badges across the State on October 22 and 23 were successful. Its leaders also attended Friday’s meeting wearing black badges.
The unions demanded filling of around 15,000 vacancies in APSRTC, and purchase of 4,000 diesel buses to meet the growing demand following the implementation of the Stree Shakti Scheme. Additional buses are essential to provide adequate transport during the ensuing Godavari and Krishna Pushkarams, they said.
