news details |
|
|
| Why not shut down virtually 'doomed' SRTC? | | 1720 employees operating 287 vehicles | | Den of corruption, running oldest fleet in country
Syed Junaid Hashmi
Early Times Report
jammu, Sept 22: Why not shut down Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) and initiate time-bound inquiry against all those ministers and officials who resisted every move to close down this den of corruption and loss making corporation?
They would refer to Kashmir situation and then, talk about 2000 employees who are on the payrolls of the corporation. Instead of suggesting a way-out, these officials have since day 1 advised the government against the closing down this loss making PSU. An official who has served in SRTC told Early Times that whosoever has headed SRTC knows well that you can embezzle funds and do whatever you want without getting caught.
He added that if detailed audit is ordered, revelations would be shocking. According to the official estimates available with early Times, government knows well that SRTC's losses have increased from Rs. 28.79 crore in 2010-11 to Rs. 30.32 crore by end of March 2015. Though state government does issue handouts claiming revival of SRTC but when figures are tallied at the end of the year, fantastic claims fall flat and the real picture emerges out.
Failure to revive SRTC raises serious questions on the administrative efficiency and planning of previous as well as present set-up of officers who directly or indirectly head this white elephant. Every Managing Director (MD) claims of having revived the corporation and earned record revenue but the fact remains that of the 610 vehicles available with SRTC, only 287 are operational now against 315 which were operational in 2013-14.
287 vehicles on road clearly means that just 47 percent of the available fleet is operational while 53 percent vehicles are non-functional due to technical or other reasons which includes people preferring other modes of transport than SRTC. And the intellectual worth of the officers heading SRTC can be gauged from their continuous advice to the government not to shut down this loss making corporation which has 1720 employees on-board.
These 1720 employees are meant for maintenance and operation of just 287 vehicles. And what makes these figures interesting is J&K SRTC being the third corporation in the country with more than 56 percent overage vehicles. The wise managers and officials have ruined the corporation and it is because of this reason that the corporation despite having third oldest fleet in the country with average age of vehicles being 10 to 11 year old is running.
J&K is also the state with highest over-age vehicles. And on the revenue side, the story is alarming and one which should shock the conscience of every commoner who pays taxes regularly and obeys all rules and regulations. Those who headed SRTC since 2010-11 kept lying both to the government and to the media through officials handouts issued by the Department of Information. SRTC earned revenue worth Rs. 40.31 crore in 2010-11 but it took the state machinery Rs. 69.10 crore to generate this revenue. Hence the losses were around Rs. 28.79 crore.
Ironically, none of the officers did a simple calculation. Of the Rs. 40.31 crore revenue generated by SRTC, more than 40 percent was purely because of the durbar move or movement of the security forces. Passengers who choose SRTC as mode of travel were just 45.7 percent. Further, Rs. 34.55 crore of the revenue generated was spent on the salaries and other expenses of the employees of SRTC. Hence, SRTC virtually earned nothing but took toll of the state exchequer.
The revenue losses kept mounting yearly. From Rs. 28.79 crore loss in 2010-11, the losses reached Rs. 30.32 crore in 2014-15. In between, the losses had touched Rs. 43.99 crore in the year 2013-14 for the reasons best known to the officials and heads of the SRTC during the respective periods. No change was witnessed during these years and instead, the situation kept deteriorating but those who headed and ruined SRTC were neither penalised nor ever booked.
The efficiency of SRTC staff can be gauged from the fact that despite operating one of the smallest fleet in the country, the corporation has been ranked 36th in terms of staff strength and productivity. The staff has not all contributed towards making SRTC profit making corporation. J&K is also rock bottom when passengers carried and occupancy ratio is a parameter. Transport ministers, secretaries of the department and managing directors (MDs) of Jammu and
Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) have done nothing commendable to revive SRTC. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
