APSRTC hit by turbulence in Andhra Pradesh over bifurcation

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has lost over Rs 200 crore on account of the agitations for and against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in the last twenty days.

Strikes by employees and agitations in the Seemandhra regions had impacted the corporation, its Vice Chairman and Managing Director A K Khan said here today.

But the corporation was making efforts to pay the salaries (to those who have worked), he said.

An appeal has been made to the employees to return to work and Transport Minister Botsa Satyanarayana, who is state Congress president, talked to the staff today to resolve the issue. The employees, however, remained unrelenting.

Over 1.57 crore people travel by APSRTC daily. Meanwhile, protests continued across the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions today against the proposed division.

The united Andhra Pradesh supporters organised rallies, fast, human chains, 'jala deekha' (water satyagraha) in the coastal cities of Visakhapatnam and Rajahmundry and elsewhere.

State Primary Education Minister S Sailajanath, a prominent leader of Seemandhra Congress MLAs and MLCs, said all other parties should try to defeat the resolution for bifurcation whenever it comes up in the Legislative Assembly.