The vigilance wing of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has started a detailed investigation after it caught a conductor in a super deluxe Ernakulam-Bangalore bus red-handed when he was allegedly issuing duplicate tickets on Sunday.
According to sources in KSRTC vigilance wing, the conductor attached to the Ernakulam depot issued duplicate tickets to six passengers that cost Rs 2,096 in all. The conductor has been kept away from duty following the incident, and sources said he would be suspended this weekend. The conductor has already confessed to the crime.
“The conductor somehow managed to pick a bundle of 100 tickets from the ticket and cash counter at the Ernakulam depot before the journey on Sunday night. Though the investigation is on, prima facie, it is clear that he deliberately took the bundle from the office section when he was handed over the ticket rack. He allegedly issued six tickets to as many passengers heading to Bangalore,” said a top officer of the vigilance wing requesting anonymity.
If a ticket bundle is not included in the ledger before it is handed over to conductor, it is considered fake. The incident came to light during a night inspection carried out by the vigilance wing in the inter-state bus.
While the vigilance squad recovered some of the fake tickets from the conductor, he managed to throw away a large chunk of the tickets.
“When we crosschecked the actual tickets in the rack and total cash collected, we found Rs 2,096 extra with him. He had issued tickets worth Rs 2,096 using fake tickets. We were also able to recover a few fake tickets from his pocket,” said the officer, adding, the report prepared by the vigilance wing will be submitted to the administration by Saturday.
Source: Times of India
