Deadlock stays despite unlock as TSRTC takes different route

VIJAYAWADA: The stalemate continues over resuming inter-state bus services between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with TSRTC officials demanding that their AP counterparts operate route-specific services instead of kilometre-based services, even as the APSRTC vice chairman and managing director MT Krishna Babu argued that there was no practice of operating bus services on a route basis elsewhere in the country.

At a meeting held between delegations led by APSRTC and TSRTC managing directors at Bus Bhavan in Hyderabad on Tuesday, the officials discussed the inter state agreement and kilometre parity. Andhra Pradesh expressed its willingness to operate buses on an equal-kilometres basis, while Telangana wanted only specific routes to be operated. The resumption of bus services between the states is only possible after clarity emerges on these two issues, which will be further discussed at the ED-level meetings to be held in a couple of days.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Krishna Babu said that during Unlock 3, they sought the Telangana government’s consent to resume bus services. He said APSRTC reduced its distance from 3.43 lakh km to 2.65 lakh km following requests by TSRTC, which is expected to increase its operations in AP from 95,000 km to 1.52 lakh km. APSRTC is operating buses on 71 routes in Telangana, while TSRTC operates only 28 routes, and appears reluctant to increase this citing lack of capacity and viability of operating services on additonal routes. The TSRTC is insisting on route-wise parity.