RTC depot in maoist influenced Sileru in Andhra's Alluri district

VISAKHAPATNAM: The RTC authorities are planning for a daring step to set up an RTC bus dept in maoist influenced border area Sileru, the Genco township.
After the restructuring of districts in AP, there is a need to set up additional bus depots in the newly formed Alluri Sitarama Raju district. Sileru is the border area of AP and Malkangiri district of Odisha, which has been witnessing a strong presence of banned maoists for the past four decades.
Presently, Alluri district has only one depot at Paderu, the headquarter of the district, that has only 183 employees, including only four office staff, and a strength with 39 buses. To provide more routes to the public, the RTC officials have verified two places on the instructions of Alluri district collector Sumit Kumar.
After formation of the district, the RTC has introduced four new buses, two to Araku, one each to Munchigput and Chintapalli, besides one bus service to Rampachodavaram. On the instruction of the collector, RTC RM RS Naidu, Chief Mechanical Engineer Appala Naidu, Regional Safety Driving Instructor RVR Raju visited the Genco township in Sileru. The RTC officials met with the Genco officials and also panchayat members.
RTC Manager Naidu told TOI that they have visited two places identified as suitable for the depot. But the entire Sileru village is under the control of Genco. They would submit a report to the collector. The district administration and Genco authorities would take a decision over the land allotment.
RTC officials are now planning to set up a Depot that can accommodate 30 buses garage, staff office, staff rest room, Bus Stand, and others. For this they planned five acres of land and visited a land parcel near a gas godown at Sivalayam area, and also Old ITI area. Genco officials showed the places as the entire Sileru township under the purview of Genco.