HYDERABAD: The Transport Department is severely upset over the action of RTC union leaders stopping private buses alleging that illegal stage carriers are siphoning off the corporation's revenue.

The National Mazdoor Union (NMU) and the APSRTC Staff and Workers' Federation had stopped private buses plying between Hyderabad and Vijayawada at L.B. Nagar as well as elsewhere in the State recently. They threatened to go on strike if the Government failed to curb illegal services.

Officials said the department had booked 24,549 cases against six types of stage carriers, including private buses, between April 2006 and January 2007 and imposed fines of Rs.17 crores. This is against 16,903 cases booked between April 2005 and January 2006 collecting Rs.12 crores as penalties. " The department is indirectly generating revenue for the RTC. We do not understand on what basis union leaders are stating that the corporation has incurred Rs.1,000-crore loss," a senior official argued.

The police and transport officials were entitled to initiate action against private operators. "How can they (read union leaders) take law into their hands? If they have any specific information, they can alert the police or us," he said.

`Unwarranted action'

Joining the issue, Transport Commissioner Ajay Misra described the action of the union leaders as unwarranted. "We are taking the necessary steps to curb the illegal services," he said. However, federation general secretary R. Laxmaiah said collecting penalties from operators would not solve the problem.

"Bus owner pays the fine and continues his operations resulting in losses to the corporation. The RTC has suffered Rs.847-crore loss in 2004-05," he recalled, quoting from a study done by IIM- Bangalore.

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