KCRRTC employees cheer and clap as Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao plays perfect host to 500 representatives from 95 RTC depots at Pragathi Bhavan on Sunday.
Hyderabad: Sunday was a treat in every way for the TSRTC employees with Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao not only rolling out several concessions but also playing the perfect host to 500 representatives from 97 depots across the State who had gathered at Pragathi Bhavan here. A budgetary allocation of Rs 1,000 crore for the ailing corporation in every annual budget beginning next year, increasing the retirement age for the employees from 58 to 60 years, payment of September salaries on Monday, complete job security and lump sum payment of the workers’ salaries for the 52-day strike period were among the several announcements made by the Chief Minister.
Chandrashekhar Rao, as promised, invited five employees, including two women from each of the 97 RTC depots, for lunch-cum-interactive session, and set the trend for a meaningful session by taking part in an informal lunch with the employees. This was followed by a two-hour interactive session where the Chief Minister spelt out the government’s stand and announced the various initiatives to pull the corporation out of the red as well as for workers’ welfare. The underlying theme of his address was the need to bring in an atmosphere of trust and togetherness to minimise the gap between the management and employees. “The united effort and the spirit that brought Telangana statehood should come to the fore again to turn around the corporation from loss-making to a profitable venture,” he said.
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No retrenchment
The Chief Minister categorically stated that job security was paramount and promised that there would be no retrenchment, not even of a single employee. He was equally clear in allaying apprehensions about privatisation of RTC bus routes, stating that not even a single private bus would be allowed to operate on the RTC routes. Every announcement, appeal and advice that came from the Chief Minister was greeted with loud applause, that was later reflected in the reactions from the employees when they emerged from the meeting.
Chandrashekhar Rao declared that his endeavour was to ensure that the loss-making corporation emerges from the shadows and does a quick turnaround into a profit-making organisation, may be within the next four months. “The RTC should earn a profit of Rs 1,000 crore per annum, which would ensure that each employee takes home a bonus of Rs 1 lakh,” the Chief Minister said, much to the delight of the employees’ gathering.
The Chief Minister had something for everyone — from women employees to workers suffering from colour blindness, from employees parents’ to their children and families of employees who died during the agitation to the temporary workers. And to drive home the point, Chandrashekhar Rao combined his address with anecdotes, idioms and satire to perfection, evoking at once peels of laughter and mixed emotions. It was indeed an emotional meeting for the employees, who just a few days ago had lost hopes of retaining their jobs.
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