Telangana Guv gives nod to TSRTC Bill but with with recommendations

Hyderabad, Aug 6 (IANS) Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Sunday finally granted her approval for the introduction of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (Absorption of Employees into Government Service) Bill 2023 in the Telangana State Legislative Assembly, ending the uncertainty prevailing for the last three days.

The bill will now be tabled and approved in the Assembly, whose monsoon session is ending Sunday.

The governor gave her approval after a meeting with officials of the transport department and Roads and Buildings department. She earlier sought certain clarifications from the state government.

Along with her approval, the governor has made 10 recommendations to the state government.

She recommended that the ownership of the lands, assets, and properties of the TSRTC should vest with the Corporation itself for its sole and exclusive use, even after the absorption of RTC employees as government employees. The government should give an explicit undertaking to that effect.

It is recommended that the assets be finally divided, and the process completed between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh pursuant to the AP Reorganisation Act.

The governor also recommended the government to clarify and assume the liability of clearing the arrears from the erstwhile APSRTC.

“It is recommended that the emoluments of the RTC employees once absorbed as government employees be on the same scale as other state government employees following pay scales, service rules, and regulations vis-a-vis salary, transfers, promotions, retirement pensions, or provident funds, and other gratuities.”

She also recommended that the TSRTC employees already absorbed should have the feasibility and facility to request 'compassionate appointment' for family members on medical grounds if the employee becomes unfit for service owing to the extreme stress and physical strain of work with the RTC.

“Disciplinary proceedings within the RTC are extremely stringent. Therefore, it is recommended that the disciplinary proceedings be more humane and in tandem with the same service rules and regulations as the remaining government employees and the relevant service rules,” the governor said.

If RTC absorbed employees are sent on deputation to other departments, it is recommended that their grade, pay, salary, and promotions, etc., be protected for their benefit so that there is no disturbance vis-a-vis their elevations and promotions, she added.

The draft bill was sent to the governor on Wednesday. Since it is a money bill, it needed the governor’s approval for introducing the same in the Assembly.

After the government submitted a reply to clarifications sought on Friday, the governor sought some more clarifications on Saturday.

On Saturday, a section of TSRTC employees had gone on strike for a few hours demanding the governor to approve the bill. Hundreds of TSRTC employees had also marched to Raj Bhavan to press for their demand.

The governor had held a video conference with the leaders of TSRTC employees’ unions through a video conference from Puducherry, where she holds additional charge as Lieutenant Governor.

Later, the governor had issued a statement saying there is no personal or other political interest involved in withholding consent for introducing the bill. She claimed that her only concern is to protect and safeguard the interest of the TSRTC employees and the organization in larger public interest.

--IANS

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