Transport Minister Green-lights Union Elections for TGSRTC, Announces 11% Fitment Increase

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar instructed the TGSRTC officials to begin the process for elections to recognised unions and release the election schedule. Ahead of these elections, he announced implementation of the 11% fitment under RPS-2021 from July 1. Reviewing the corporation’s performance, Mr Prabhakar said the government had procured 2,815 new buses at a cost of ₹1,078 crore between 2023 and 2026. Two new depots have also been sanctioned at Eturunagaram and Peddapalli. A total of 1,137 compassionate appointments had been made under the Breadwinner Scheme and on medical invalidation grounds. This includes 888 conductors, 10 drivers, 43 workers and 196 constables. Officials were directed to immediately complete pending compassionate appointments for eligible candidates. He also said that of the 490 employees, 244 employees dismissed from service had been reinstated. He underscored that 1,050 electric buses were running in the State, and sought a detailed report on the routes being served, along with an assessment of these services. According to officials, TGSRTC currently operates a fleet of 10,173 buses with a workforce of 38,128 employees, covering around 35 lakh kilometres every day and serving nearly 61 lakh passengers. Also in the offing is the handover of a cheque which is to be handed over to the family of Shankar Goud, a TGSRTC worker from Narsampet. The funds were raised by TGSRTC staff. Mr Prabhakar added that as many as 11 cases had been settled under the employees’ accident insurance scheme. Each affected family was paid ₹1 crore, he added. The Minister further directed officials to organise a meeting of Transport Ministers, Principal Secretaries, Transport Commissioners and RTC Managing Directors from southern States to discuss pollution control measures, electric vehicle policy and expansion of electric bus services. He also called for expediting land transfer processes required for development of RTC bus stations.