Congress govt expands electric bus fleet in Telangana

The state government is working diligently to put the Road Transport Corporation (RTC) on the path to profit, said Transport and Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar.
On Monday, in the presence of several Ministers, including Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Minister for Endowments Konda Surekha, a fleet of 112 electric buses allocated by the state government for the Warangal region was flagged off at the Hayagrivachary Ground in Hanmakonda.
During this event, Ponnam Prabhakar said that while the previous government tried to undermine the RTC, the Congress government has transformed it into a vibrant organisation. He added that after the Congress government came to power, it initiated compassionate appointments and provided jobs to 3,000 people in the RTC. He highlighted that the state government has purchased 1,000 new buses, including environmentally friendly electric buses.
In the first phase, these electric buses will operate from district centres to Hyderabad. For Hanumakonda district, 112 electric buses have been allocated, with 50 buses being assigned to the Warangal region in the initial phase. The government would allocate another 30 buses by Sankranti, the Minister said. He also mentioned that the government has introduced free RTC bus travel, benefiting 127 crore women across the State, which has imposed an additional financial burden of Rs 4,500 crore on the RTC. To support the management of electric buses, the government has invested Rs 10 crore in establishing charging stations in the district. While the previous government undermined the RTC, the Indiramma government is working hard to lead it towards progress, and in the future, RTC will see better days, he added.
Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy stated that the previous government had tried to privatise the RTC but had to backtrack under pressure. He assured that by Sankranti, Indiramma houses would be allotted to every constituency and highlighted various welfare schemes the government is implementing for the betterment of the people. He mentioned that the government would offer a 40 per cent increase in hostel mess charges and a 200 per cent subsidy on cosmetic charges for students. He also mentioned that the Indiramma government will provide a Rs 500 bonus for sanitary workers, construct 4 lakh houses annually, and work towards completing the construction of the 20 lakh houses that are under construction.
Endowments Minister Konda Surekha noted that the free bus service provided by the government is being used by millions of women across the state. She pointed out that women are now travelling free of charge by RTC buses for medical purposes to Hyderabad and other cities and are also visiting pilgrimage sites.
Warangal MP Kadiyam Kavya said that the state government is striving to strengthen the RTC. The government is also committed to ensuring the welfare of all sections of people.
Warangal West MLA Naini Rajender Reddy and Waradhannapet MLA KR Nagaraj and others also spoke.