KSRTC chief on staff strike: Alternative arrangements in place for commuters

MYSURU: On the eve of the strike called by the employees’ union of the state-run transport agencies on Tuesday, chairman of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) M Chandrappa on Monday said that the government had made alternative arrangements to ensure people would not be inconvenienced.
Chandrappa, who interacted with representatives of the media after taking stock of ongoing work at the Mysuru KSRTC division in Bannimantap, said that the government was equally committed to meeting the demands of the employees. Appealing to the disgruntled employees not to go ahead with the strike, Chandrappa said, “The government has constituted a one-man commission headed by retired IAS officer Srinivas Murthy to consider the demands of the employees. Among the recommendations of the interim report submitted to the government are injunctions to the eliminate unnecessary expenses, to press into service single-door buses wherein driver doubles up as the conductor, et al.”
Chandrappa pointed out that the KSRTC had rolled out initiatives extending insurance to the tune of Rs 1 crore to kin of employees who suffer fatal accidents while on the job. “All employees, including those employed on contract, will be entitled to this,” he said.
He said that the KSRTC had been turning the curve towards profitability when the outbreak of Covid-19 reversed its journey. “The government will revise wages of all KSRTC employees based on profit generated in each division,” said Chandrappa, adding that the employees’ union was constantly making demands of the government, whether it was with respect to revision of salary, among other issues.