Date:03/05/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/05/03/stories/2005050306450400.htm

Andhra Pradesh

No move to hike RTC fares, says Minister

Special Correspondent

Emphasis to be laid on increasing occupancy rate

HYDERABAD: The State Government will not hike APSRTC fares even if the Centre increases diesel prices in the near future.

The Transport Minister, S. Santosh Reddy, told The Hindu on Monday that the Government had not increased the fares even though the diesel prices had been raised thrice in the last one year, casting an additional burden of Rs. 208 crores on APSRTC.

"There will not be any increase up to one year and we will reduce the expenditure," he asserted.

He said that efforts would be made to increase the occupancy rate by another 3 per cent from the present 66 per cent. An increase of one per cent would fetch an additional Rs. 47 crores. The occupancy rate had improved by three per cent since the new Government took over.

MV tax to be reduced

Mr. Reddy said the Motor Vehicle Tax would be reduced in the next 15 days and brought on a par with Tamil Nadu where it was around 5 and 2 per cent for rural and urban services respectively.

Ruling out the question of privatising APSRTC, he said the Government was keen on safeguarding it and improve the efficiency.

"Why will we regularise 900 casual workers and appoint another 350 on compassionate grounds if we had any intention of privatising it?" he asked.

The services of 4,000 more casual workers would be regularised in the next two years. It was proposed to take 350 more employees on compassionate grounds.

The Minister said the high-power committee which was appointed to suggest ways to revive the corporation had submitted its interim report.

"We will implement only those suggestions which are beneficial".

Mr. Reddy has convened a meeting of top officials on May 4 to discuss functioning of the corporation. The decision regarding purchase of 2,000 new buses, which had been put off earlier, would be reviewed.