The Telangana High Court on Friday pulled up Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) in charge Managing Director Sunil Sharma for submitting incorrect report on the dues to be paid by the government to the Corporation.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice R. S. Chauhan admonished the official for suppressing the facts with regard to the government's dues and the payments made to the transport utility.
The MD stated in his affidavit that the government has paid entire amount of Rs 644.51 crore to the TSRTC towards reimbursement of concession given by TSRTC to various categories of commuters during 2018-19.
The court, however, questioned the officials as how the loans given to the TSRTC for purchase of buses could be treated as the reimbursement of concession.
The MD, who personally appeared before the court, explained that the reimbursement dues were used to pay for diesel and salaries.
The court was hearing Public Interest Litigations (PILs), seeking direction to end the strike by TSRTC employees. The indefinite strike entered 28th day on Friday.
The court was also told that the TSRTC requested Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to release dues of Rs 1,492 crore towards the losses incurred in its operations in Hyderabad. GHMC paid Rs 108 crore and Rs 228.40 crore to TSRTC for 2015-16 and 2016-17 but expressed its inability to pay the remaining amount due to financial problems.
When the MD pointed out that it is not binding on Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to compensate the TSRTC, the court asked why the municipal body paid the amount between 2015 and 2017.
The court asked Sharma if he wrote to the GHMC to pay the dues for 2018-19. It also wanted to know whether he wrote to the government after the GHMC failed to pay the dues.
The counsel of employees' union submitted to the court that the Transport Minister stated in the Assembly that the GHMC has to pay the dues to the TSRTC. The court asked the MD whether it should believe what he was saying or what the minister said in the Assembly.
After hearing the arguments from both sides, the court adjourned the hearing to Thursday
Joint Action Committee (JAC) convener Ashwathama Reddy said the TSRTC management should open its eyes with the observations made by the court. He said the IAS officer wrote whatever the government wanted and submitted the same to the court in the form of a report.
The JAC leader said it was unfortunate that despite employees being on strike and many of them losing their lives, the TSRTC was standing by the government
He recalled that the Transport Minister had stated in Assembly on September 19 that the government owes Rs 745 crore and the GHMC Rs 1,492 crore to the TSRTC.
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