The Hindu Business Line : No headway in RTC talks

THE three-day talks between the Government and employees of Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation failed to make any headway, with both sides sticking to their guns.

While talks could not be held on the first day as the Transport Minister, Mr S. Santosh Reddy, fell sick, the third day saw the resignation of the Minister. He resigned following the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) decision to quit the coalition Government over the separate Statehood for the region. (While five of his colleagues submitted their resignations to the Governor last week, Mr Santosh Reddy submitted his resignation letter to the Chief Minister.)

The Cabinet Sub-Committee formed to solve the problem has decided to approach the High Court, seeking more time to prepare a plan for reconstructing the crisis-ridden corporation.

Addressing a press conference in the evening, Mr Konathala Ramakrishna (Minister for Commercial Taxes) and Mr J. Rammohan Rao (Roads and Buildings), said talks would be renewed on July 20 after the proposed workshop on July 17 at Administrative Staff College of India.

As a follow up, the Government would depute a team to Karnakata and Tamil Nadu to study the functioning of the RTCs there. The team would comprise Ministers, JAC leaders, RTC officials and journalists.

The Ministers, members of the Sub-Committee, said the Government would like to prepare a long-term strategy to put the corporation on the right track.

"In the short term, we reduced the rate of Motor Vehicle Tax and reimbursed concessions given to various walks of people," they said.

Reacting to the Government response, the JAC leaders alleged that it was going back on its promises.

Meanwhile, the Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU) alleged that the Government nursed a hidden agenda of splitting the corporation into zones.

Talking to presspersons, Mr S. Veeraiah, Secretary of CITU (Andhra Pradesh unit), wanted the Government to clarify its stand on the issue.

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No headway in RTC talks