Telangana: Over 43,000 TSRTC Staff Set To Become Government Employees

A total of 43,373 TSRTC employees will become government employees. To implement this decision, a Bill will be introduced in the upcoming Assembly session, commencing on August 3.

The Telangana Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday decided to recognise more than 43,000 employees of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) as state government employees. There has been a long-pending demand from the employees to merge the public transport corporation with the state government. State Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao told media persons that the decision was taken to protect the TSRTC as a social obligation and to strengthen the public transport system.

"A sub-committee has been appointed headed by the special chief secretary (finance) and other secretaries from transport, roads and buildings, labour departments and general administration department and to come up with detailed modalities and submit a report. The bill merging the TSRTC will be tabled in the upcoming assembly session from August 3," municipal administration minister KT Rama Rao said on Monday after the cabinet meeting.

A total of 43,373 TSRTC employees will become government employees.

In addition to the TSRTC decision, the cabinet also decided to undertake the expansion of the Hyderabad Metro at an estimated cost of Rs 60,000 crore over the next 3-4 years. As part of this expansion, a double-decker Metro line will be laid from Jubilee Bus Station to Thumkunta and Patny to Kandlakoya at the Outer Ring Road (ORR). The two levels of this Metro line will be designated for motor vehicles and Metro trains separately.

Furthermore, plans have been made to extend the Hyderabad Metro from Isnapur to Miyapur, Miyapur to LakdiKaPul, LB Nagar to Pedamberpet, Uppal to Bibinagar, Kottur to Shadnagar, and Uppal to ECIL. Additionally, a Metro Rail project around the 159-km Outer Ring Road is also under consideration. Detailed project reports for these expansions have been requested from Hyderabad Metro Rail and the Municipal Administration Department.

The state government intends to seek cooperation from the Central Government to execute these projects, and the Industries Minister, K. T. Rama Rao, expressed confidence that even if the present government at the Centre fails to cooperate, the next government at the Centre will extend the required support. He predicted that a coalition government, in which BRS will play a key role, will come to power at the Centre next year.