Rs 100 cr relief a breather for RSRTC; but Rs 6,100 cr loss a major hurdle!

Jaipur: The Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC) which is going through a tough time, has got a major relief. Now RSRTC will not have to make a payment of about one hundred crore rupees to a transport company from Ahmedabad. The Commercial Court number 4 in Jaipur, through its recent order, accepted roadways’ appeal and gave the decision. The decision was given by Justice Amit Kumar Kadvasara.

Prior to this, the court had attached Roadways properties in 2022, for not making payment towards the company. What was serious was the point that the court had ordered to attach the state’s transport department as well! This one of a kind order shook the government.

At that time, in the year 2021-22, Sandeep Verma was CMD of Roadways and then official had given a written complaint to the Chief Secretary, against the public prosecutors for lacunae and colluding with the opposite party. Verma’s step had become a major issue of discussion in the state bureaucracy as Verma had even requested that these lawyers should be removed.

In the year 2022 itself, when Sandeep Verma was still CMD, the Roadways had appealed against the attachment order in Commercial Court 4. Although Verma was transferred in October 2022, but the decision on the appeal has been announced now and Verma, who is now serving as ACS, Science and Technology, is extremely elated with the decision as ‘his efforts have been successful and roadways has got a major relief’.

It should be noted that roadways is in a loss of 6100 crore rupees and this loss is increasing to the tune of four hundred crore rupees per month. Ten thousand posts, out of the total twenty two thousand approved, are still lying vacant. The Roadways administration had demanded an approval from the government for recruitment of 5200 new posts, which has not been received till now. A total of 2915 buses are currently plying in RSRTC as against the total of five thousand and among these too, 1522 buses have exceeded their term.

On the other hand the issue of purchase of new buses is in doldrums. MD Nathmal Didel’s team had prepared a tender document last month and owing to the major shortfalls in the document, it has been declined. Sources reveal that there is a major doubt if the new buses will even by bought in the current government’s tenure, because the date for model code of conduct is round the corner.