No one can save RTC says KCR

Hyderabad: Terming the ongoing RTC workers' strike a big "nonsense, illogical and an illegal", Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said. "I am sorry, no one can save the TSRTC.

It's a closed chapter. Nothing is in my hands." The CM ruled out the merger of RTC with the government during his lifetime. In next five days, the government will permit the private operators to run the buses as per the Central Motor Vehicle Act, he said.

The Chief Minister in his two-hour long press conference held here on Thursday to thank voters for party's victory in Huzurnagar dwelled at length on the RTC strike and went hammer and tongs against the union leaders. He said anyone who has "some brains", would have thought twice before going on strike.

Reacting to the claim of unions that KCR had hugged them during agitation for separate state but was now painting them as villains, he said, "Yes they participated in the agitation, so what? If someone in the house steals something, don't we take action against them."

When asked that the employees were unhappy that the government did not call them for talks, KCR shot back saying, "Who is that idiot who says that the government did not invite them for talks."

He said a three-member official committee was constituted to address the demands.

The RTC union leaders were non-cooperative and stuck to the demand to merge the corporation with the government which is not practical for implementation.

The government had done all that was possible to save RTC. It had hiked the salaries of employees by 67 per cent in four years. "The major problem with the employees is that they are not ready to work hard and save the corporation from the crisis," he said.

The Chief Minister said that if the workers can get rid of the unions and put in hard work for two years, they can take home a bonus of Rs 1 lakh. He said the menace of unions has been growing and every time there is an election, they go on strike.

He said the state government has already given Rs 4,550 crore to RTC in four years. Lashing out at the opposition parties, KCR said neither the BJP nor the Congress party had ever merged any RTC with the government in any of the states ruled by them.

He said, he being fully aware of conditions of RTC, pumped crores of rupees into the corporation but it was losing Rs 13 per vehicle per day whereas the private travels were earning a profit of Rs 285 per vehicle per day.

He also expressed his helplessness with regard to release of salaries since the matter was sub judice. KCR suggested the 'self dismissed' striking RTC workers to submit applications in the local depots if they want to rejoin their duties.

He also clarified that there is no question of calling unions for talks. The workers should decide about their future. The government has nothing to do with their self-created problems, said KCR.