Hyderabad: I didn't get a wink of sleep during RTC strike: Minister Ajay Kumar

Hyderabad: Transport Minister P Ajay Kumar on Friday revealed that he had sleepless nights during the 55-day strike by the TSRTC employees as there were no skilled drivers like TSRTC employees and always feared of accidents by the inexperienced drivers driving the buses.

The minister was addressing the RTC employees during a programme organised on Road Safety Week at RTC Kala Bhavan on Friday. The minister also revealed that he had two tensions during the strike period - one was the suicides by the staff and the other was accidents by the inexperienced temporary drivers.

"I had to reveal this... when 99 per cent of the staff was on strike we had to run the buses with the help of inexperienced drivers. I had sleepless nights because I was afraid of accidents by the inexperienced drivers.

I had two tensions one was suicides by employees and other was the accidents. Every day I thanked god for not having any major accident," said Ajay Kumar. The minister said that road safety celebrations were the occasions to tell the people that travelling in RTC bus is safe.

Many people have sentiments attached to RTC as hundreds of skilled drivers take about one crore people to their destinations safely. People have faith in the RTC drivers. Senior officials including IAS, IPS wanted RTC to continue because many had attachment with the corporation, said the minister.

The minister said Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao was helping him in taking forward the RTC with his suggestions as he was also associated with RTC.

The Chief Minister has complete knowledge about RTC, buses, passengers and he brought the loss-making corporation into profits, recalled the minister.

The minister stressed on the need to follow the road safety rules by the citizens by not involving in drink and drive, not driving rashly, wearing helmets including the pillion rider, wearing seatbelts, avoiding overloading etc.

He asked the officials to avoid accidents with enforcement of MV Rules, identify accidental prone areas and take up road repairs wherever necessary.

The minister called upon the RTC staff to work for getting the corporation into profits and get the profit in the form of bonus. He warned the officials asking them not to harass the employees.

"No employee should be removed, change your mindset, talk to the employees and solve their problems as if they are yours and don't let them feel insecure," said Ajay.

Transport Commissioner Sandeep Sultania said the city where people use public transport is a developed city. There are 95 lakh individual vehicles in the State and there is a need to shift them towards RTC.

Stating that RTC bus was like an elephant on the city roads, Sultania asked the drivers to cautious with the small vehicles. City Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar and others also addressed.