Transport Minister Pinipe Viswaroop on Tuesday said the diesel cess was imposed under ‘inevitable circumstances’ arising out of a steep hike in fuel prices.
Addressing officials of the Transport Department during his maiden visit to RTC House after assuming charge as the Transport Minister, Mr. Viswaroop said the Opposition parties were blowing the issue out of proportion and asserted that the surcharge being collected in the State was less than neighbouring Telangana State. He, however, thanked the people for understanding the problem of the cash-strapped AP State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) and extending their cooperation.
Sticking to his promise made at the time of his padayatra, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had ushered in happiness in the lives of 50,000 APSRTC employees’ families by merging the Corporation with the State government. Despite a serious financial crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic times, the State government did not delay or stop the salaries of the RTC employees, he pointed out.
