APSRTC Employees Sustain Protest Pending Formal Written Commitments
The Joint Action Committee of Andhra Pradesh Public Transport Department employees will persist with their third phase of demonstrations. Despite verbal agreements on depot reopenings, workers demand official minutes before halting their strike.
Key takeaways
- The APPTD-APSRTC Joint Action Committee will continue its third phase of agitation until management provides written minutes of agreed terms.
- Management has agreed in principle to reopen four closed depots and claims to have met 90% of union demands.
- A central point of conflict is the JAC's opposition to private electric bus operations, demanding direct state procurement instead.
Strategic Stalemate Over Privatization and Depot Closures
Agitation within the Andhra Pradesh Public Transport Department (APPTD) enters a critical phase as the Employees’ Joint Action Committee (JAC) refuses to stand down without formal documentation of recent concessions. Following a high-level meeting on Thursday with APSRTC Vice-Chairman and Managing Director N. Balasubramanyam, labor leaders confirmed that while verbal progress was made, the protest remains active. JAC conveners Y. Srinivasa Rao and P. Damodara Rao stated that the third phase of their struggle will continue until the management honors its pledge to release official meeting minutes incorporating all given assurances.
Core Grievances and Policy Friction
At the heart of the dispute is the state’s strategy regarding electric vehicle integration. The JAC opposes the introduction of private electric bus operations, which they characterize as a move toward privatization. Instead, the committee demands that APSRTC procure and operate all electric units directly. Their restorative agenda includes the following demands:
- Immediate reopening of four previously shuttered bus depots.
- Withdrawal of all active tenders issued to private electric bus firms.
- Protection of existing employee interests during the transition to eco-friendly transport.
- Strengthening the state-run system through public investment rather than outsourcing.
Management Response and Next Steps
Managing Director N. Balasubramanyam indicated that the state’s electric bus policy aligns with federal environmental mandates. He noted that the administration has already conceded to approximately 90% of the JAC’s requirements and remains optimistic about a peaceful resolution. Balasubramanyam emphasized that employee welfare is a priority during this technological shift.
The JAC State Executive Committee plans to convene once the physical minutes are delivered to evaluate the government's sincerity. Until that document is reviewed, the protest schedule holds. Co-conveners including P.V. Ramana Reddy, G.V. Narasayya, and others who attended the negotiations joined the call for administrative transparency. The union maintains that only a signed, written record can ensure the survival of the state-owned transport model against private encroachment.
Source: The Hindu — National
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