HYDERABAD: It's not just Hyderabadis who’re affected by the RTC strike; people visiting the city from across the country also seem to have been inconvenienced by the crisis. With the TSRTC Pushpak bus stop at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport witnessing long queues every day, confusion with regard to tickets and availability of buses are driving tourists crazy. Passengers are also miffed by the long waits for private cabs via the multiple cab aggregators at the airport.
Incidentally, Twitter too has been filled with complaints of non-availability of Pushpak buses. While RGIA’s official handle has been consistently pointing fingers at the RTC strike, TSRTC officials claimed that the Pushpak buses have always been operated by private drivers, and therefore, their services should not have been affected.
As Rashmi Bansal, a teacher from Bengaluru visiting the city for the first time, waited at the Pushpak pick up point for over 30 minutes. She said, “I was told by my point of contact in Hyderabad that it was very easy and economical to use the Pushpak service. However, I still have not figured out how to get the tickets as the airport employees keep sending me from one stall to another.” To similar complaints made by many other passengers on Twitter, RGIA responded that the delay and confusion was caused by the TSRTC strike.
One of the tweets from the RGIA’s official Twitter handle to a passenger read as follows, “Hi Susmito! Yes, we do have Pushpak bus service operational from Uppal to RGIA. However, due to the ongoing strike, there could be a change in frequency and schedule. We request you to please refer to the link - https://bit.ly/33pzoNX for more information. Thank you (sic).”
However, speaking to Express, J Devadanam, Regional Manager at the TSRTC Kukatpally Bus Depot said, “The entire fleet of 40 Pushpak buses are functional and could not have been affected by the strike as the buses are operated by private drivers.”
He added: “We are surely short on manpower and these drivers have been forced to work as conductors as well. This may have led to a slight delay in the turnaround time, but nothing substantial to disrupt the services altogether.”
RTC JAC seeks Guv’s intervention
Hyderabad: The TSRTC JAC on Monday met Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan to submit a memorandum of demands and requested for her intervention on the issue of ongoing state-wide RTC strike. Convenor Ashwathama Reddy, along with other major leaders of the JAC, handed over the document to the Governor. This is the third delegation of RTC employees to meet the governor until the tenth day of RTC strike. The leaders informed the governor that they had been on a strike since October 5 and one of the main reasons for the same was non- implementation of pay revision due to the employees