The Regional Transport Authority (RTA) in Hyderabad is facing criticism for not paying salaries to its staff, including security and maintenance workers. Around 200 employees work in various RTA offices in Greater Hyderabad. These workers last received their salaries in August and have been struggling to get their pending payments ever since.
Many workers say they are now in debt because they have not been paid for the last eight months. A security guard from the Uppal RTA office, who wished to remain anonymous, shared that most workers are borrowing money to survive.
There are more than 150 security personnel and over 60 maintenance staff across 11 RTA offices. These workers are employed under the Sri Ram agency. Each worker is owed over ₹1 lakh in pending salaries. “We have been waiting for months. We just want our salaries to be paid without further delay,” said Shantamman, a sweeper.
The workers claim that their payments are stuck because they require approval from the Transport Department. Many have repeatedly contacted the agency, but they have not received any answers. “The contractor told us that the department has not released the amount yet,” said another sweeper. Due to this delay, many employees are forced to take loans from moneylenders at high interest rates.
M Dayanand, the general secretary of the Telangana Auto and Motor Welfare Union, stated that the unpaid workers are facing extreme hardships. “Many of them have had to pawn their jewelry and borrow money just to manage their household expenses,” he said.
Meanwhile, an official from the Transport Department assured that the pending payments would be cleared soon, as discussions are currently underway.
