Telangana State Road Transport Corporation will be starting cargo services with about 100 bus fleet by March-end, said Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar.
It was one of the several measures proposed to improve the non-traffic revenue and overcome the losses keeping in view the RTC’s fleet and reachability. The number of cargo vehicles would be increased based on demand. They hoped to earn ₹300 crore to ₹400 crore per year through the cargo and parcel services.
Pre-launching works have been initiated to commence the cargo and parcel transport service by the TSRTC, he said responding to questions raised by B Venkateswarulu, Balasani Laxminarayana and V. Gandhadha Goud in the Legislative Council here on Thursday.
He said about 700 to 800 aged buses instead of being condemned would be converted to cargo vehicles by fabricating them suitably. The carrying capacity of each cargo vehicle would be around six to eight tonnes and the number of vehicles would be increased gradually. About 112 RTC employees with degree and post-graduate degrees were selected as marketing executives at the Regional and Depot level for the Cargo and Parcel Transport service and were trained on marketing.
He also told the members that post the 52-day strike by the RTC workers and Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao’s assurance to the employees that government was interested in protecting and making the corporation profitable through reforms and worker friendly service conditions, the employees were working with enthusiasm and their productivity improved. The daily revenue of RTC increased by ₹1.5 crore touching ₹12.5 crore per day and their aim was to touch ₹13 crore. Despite increase in ticket tariff, the occupancy ratio did not come down from 70%. More importantly in the last two months, RTC has been paying salaries to its employees with its own revenue. Chief Minister approved government guarantee for ₹600 crore to pay the employees dues under PF and CCS. He also approved ₹230 crore towards wages for the strike period and it would be disbursed in two to three days.
The Minister said it would take some time to bring the RTC on to a profitable path and requested Members to release amounts from their Constituency Development Funds to improve basic amenities like toilets in bus stands.
Chairman Guta Sukhender Reddy suggested to the Minister to write a letter to all the MLAs and MLCs to release some amount from their CDF for improvement of bus stands in their districts and constituencies.
