The State government is committed to the welfare of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) personnel and to improve the service operations of the State road transport undertaking, Minister for Transport, A.K. Saseendran has said.
Inaugurating the newly created Thiruvananthapuram zone and declaration of Ernakulam and Kozhikode zones of the KSRTC as recommended by the Sushil Khanna commission at the Central bus station on Wednesday, the Minister said the government had given top priority to the disbursal of the salary and wages to those on the rolls and pension to the retirees even when the transport undertaking was in deep financial crisis.
The three zones has been created to improve the service operations in KSRTC. Redeployment of personnel in the facility has also commenced. Mr. Saseendran said improving the efficiency of the services was the second priority of the government towards the ongoing revamp of the KSRTC.
Hinting that the government would not go back in ushering reforms in the State transport undertaking, the Transport Minister said the difficulties faced in implementing the reforms would be amicably solved. The zones created would improve the service operations, he said, urging the employees to extend full support to the initiative.
The trade unions were complaining that the KSRTC management was going slow in executing the recommendations of the Sushil Khanna commission, he said, in reference to the slogan shouting by the BMS-affiliated KST Employees Sangh at the venue of the function against the creation of the three zones.
Tomin J. Thachankary, KSRTC CMD, said the creation of zones was a new beginning for the KSRTC and called upon the employees to work hard and to offer good service to the commuters in reply to the accusations and apprehensions raised from various quarters.
State Transport Commissioner K. Padmakumar and Director Board Member and Scientist, Natpac, B.G. Sreedevi spoke. The Minister also visited the zonal office that will function from behind the complex.
Transport Secretary K.R. Jyothilal, V.S. Sivakumar, MLA, who is the general secretary of the INTUC-affiliated Transport Democratic Front, T. Mathew, Treasurer of KSRTEA (CITU), R. Sasidharan, working president of the TDF, and eight KSRTC Director Boad members did not turn up for the meeting.
The existing zones of Thiruvanananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kozhikode were amalgamated to South Zone, based in Thiruvananthapuram Central, Central Zone in Ernakulam and North Zone in Kozhikode from Wednesday to strengthen service operations.
On CITU leader’s comment
Later, replying to the queries on the CITU State president Anathalavattom Anandan’s demand on Tuesday that the KSRTC CMD should quit, the Transport Minister said the CITU leader was free to make comments and there was nothing new in such comments from the trade union leader. “The CMD has not complained that Transport Minister and the government is not supporting him,” Mr. Saseendran said.