Hyderabad: With increased ridership, the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) is struggling to convert ‘zero tickets’ into profits due to delay in funding from the state government.
On December 9, the Congress-run state government launched the Maha Lakshmi scheme providing free TSRTC travel for women and transgender across Telangana. It also assured to reimburse the expenditure to TSRTC towards the chargeable fares.
According to local reports, TSRTC spends approximately Rs 350 crore each month on zero tickets. The state government has approximately Rs 1,400 crore outstanding as of March 2024.
In its yearly budget, the former BRS government allocated Rs 1,500 crore for TSRTC. However, since last December, the Congress-led government has only disbursed one instalment of Rs 1,000 crore. Zero tickets remained unpaid even after the cash was issued.
Examining TSRTC’s current state, it seems that paper earnings are the only thing available. Experts say that if the arrears continue, things will get tough for TSRTC.
