Hyderabad: Deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has announced that the state government was planning to provide loans to the women’s self-help groups to purchase buses and use them in Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) soon, to economically strengthen the women in the state.
On Wednesday, June 12, Bhatti Vikramarka travelled in a ‘Palle Velugu’ RTC bus as a commoner by paying for the ticket from Khammam Old Bus Stand to Jagannathapuram village in Bonakal mandal. He also flagged off a bus service to Patharlapadu on the occasion.
Interacting with the women passengers, Bhatti inquired about how the free bus service scheme was helping them, and how many times they were using the free service. Janamma and Ananthamma, both residents of Nagulavancha, told him that the free bus rides have significantly reduced the burden on their finances, and they were able to visit temples and attend functions without any hassles.
Talking to conductor Shailaja, he inquired about how the zero ticket was being issued to women passengers.
Speaking with the media, Bhatti Vikramarka said that the RTC was not only being strengthened because of the free bus service to women but was also on the path to expansion, which could be seen in the way more than 300 new buses have been procured and pressed into service by the corporation.
“During the BRS regime people wondered whether the RTC would survive its losses and whether it would be sold away. With the state government compensating the RTC for free bus rides for women, its financial standing has improved. BRS leaders who suspect that this service is not viable, are the ones who don’t wish to see women getting benefited,” he observed.
He also said that the state government was trying to find a way to reduce the interest rates for TGSRTC’s debts, and was also trying to find out in which routes there is more demand for RTC services.
Assuring that the state government was working to economically strengthen the weaker sections which form 92% of the state’s population, he pointed out that the Congress government had fulfilled five of the six guarantees it had made before the Assembly elections, adding that within two months of coming to power, the government has been able to pay the salaries on the first day of the month, which was not the case during the BRS government.
