The Telangana State Committee of the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) held a protest at the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation’s Bus Bhavan in Hyderabad, demanding free RTC travel for persons with disabilities, reservation in RTC shopping complexes and the filling of backlog posts.
The protesters submitted a representation to RTC Executive Director Venkanna during the demonstration. The demands place access to public transport, economic opportunities and public-sector employment at the centre of the organisation’s latest appeal to the state government and the transport corporation.
Speaking at the protest, former Nalgonda MLA Nandyala Narasimha Reddy said the state government was neglecting persons with disabilities, whom he described as among the most marginalised sections of society. The protest was organised under the aegis of the Telangana State Committee of the NPRD.
M. Adivayya, state general secretary of the NPRD, called for priority to be given to persons with disabilities in the allocation of shops located in RTC-owned shopping complexes. The demand seeks to connect transport-corporation property with livelihood opportunities for a group that the organisation says continues to face marginalisation.
The NPRD also accused the Congress party of failing to fulfil a promise made during the Assembly elections to provide free travel facilities for persons with disabilities. The organisation’s demand for free RTC travel would, if implemented, directly affect the cost of using the state’s bus network for eligible passengers. The report does not specify the proposed eligibility rules, implementation mechanism or financial implications of the demand.
The protesters further sought implementation of a 5 per cent reservation in RTC shopping complexes and the filling of backlog posts for persons with disabilities within the corporation. These demands extend beyond concessionary travel to access to commercial spaces and public employment in the transport system.
The NPRD said its agitation would continue until the state government fulfilled the promises cited by the protesters. The representation submitted to the RTC executive director is the immediate formal step reported from the protest, while no response from the state government or the RTC to the demands was reported.
