As KSRTC is scrambling hard to meet the pensions, salary and festival allowance funds, the company MD, Antony Chacko has packed off on a 20-day leave. The charge has been handed over to General Manager Sudhakaran who is also trying to move to his parent department, the Kerala Textiles Corporation.
It is at a time when the department has to raise around Rs 200 crore for various requirements that the senior functionaries have backed out on their immediate responsibilities. The corporation needs to arrange massive amounts of funds to meet the festival and advance allowance, pensions for September and August salaries. There is also an upcoming salary due immediately after the Onam holidays.
Both these officers were appointed during the time of the UDF government. Ever since the change of guard at Thiruvananthapuram, there have been demands from the KSRTEA (CITU) to remove them from office and investigate the agreements entered into by the corporation during the end of the tenure of the UDF government. The letter regarding this has been at the Chief Minister’s table for the last two months with no followup action.
The INTUC is also not coming forth with a position as the move will discredit the officers appointed by the UDF. The groups which were vociferous against the salary issue earlier are all silent due to different reasons. The Left unions are also in a fix since the government has informed it cannot take up the pension dues. They are also unable to respond to the several moves by the government including those regarding the shortage of spare parts, fall in daily revenue, cut down of schedules and economic crisis.
As of now the corporation will have to depend on the M-panel employees to run the Onam services. Lack of decisive leadership just adds to the problems of the ailing state carrier.
