Trade unions against dividing KSRTC
Trade unions have demanded the withdrawal of the move to divide into three zones. Their protest is in the wake of transport minister A K Saseendran confirming the division by April.
The trade union representatives from AITUC, INTUC and BMS, following a draft report on the division of KSRTC into three zones namely Travancore, Cochin and Malabar was released, submitted a request to transport minister and KSRTC CMD.
“The division will destroy the transport corporation, which is under financial crisis. At this stage, financial restructuring is required instead of diving KSRTC,” said M G Rahul, general sectary of Kerala state transport employees union. The transport minister had directed the KSRTC to prepare the report in this regard.
As per the report, the depots under the zones will be managed by an official in the post of general manager. But there had been poor response to notification issued by KSRTC for the appointment of general manager KSRTC. Only one person has been selected by transport corporation as general manager in the previous recruitments.
Meanwhile, Saseendran said the zones will function as profit centres, which will improve the collection of KSRTC. “The aim is to improve the fare collection in KSRTC. Though there exist five zones in KSRTC, the district transport officer who is also the in-charge of each zone does not have an authority to take decision without consulting the chief office in Thiruvananthapuram. It is an ineffective system. So, in the system of three zones of profit centres, as suggested in Susheel Khanna report, the zonal officer can directly monitor the KSRTC depots and take decisions accordingly to improve the collection. We will be issuing a third notification for the appointment of general managers and the report for division of zones will be finalised soon,” said Saseendran.
However, KSRTC MD A Hemachandran said that no decision was taken for the zonal division and request for review of the proposal had been sent to the government.
