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| SRTC: Dead horse yet costs state heavily | | |
GOPAL GUPTA
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, July 26: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's announcement of plying additional State Road Transport Corporation buses on the accident prone routes of erstwhile District Doda does not auger well with the condition of the corporation which besides being a financial liability is nearing virtual closure.
Alongside the depleting fleet of vehicles, employees of the corporation are grieved over the so called voluntary retirement scheme aimed at reducing the financial losses and making efforts for rejuvenating the corporation. Corporation has 4400 employees on its rolls with 2700 belonging to Kashmir and Leh regions of the state while the remaining 1700 employees are from Jammu region.
Official sources said that despite mounting losses with each passing day, state government is yet to take a decision with regard to improving the health of the corporation. From Abdullah convoy to Government Transport Undertaking' (GTU) and then to State Road Transport Corporation, it has undergone a sea change in its nomenclature but has miserably failed to live upto the expectations of the passengers.
Interestingly, the corporation had at one point of time 1600 vehicles and the same should have increased over the years. But bureaucratic inefficiency coupled with political mismanagement ruined the corporation completely. Ask the corporation employees and they would tell you that government maintained a silent policy of encouraging the private vehicles owners which resulted in them taking over all the major routes of the state.
The passengers preferred private vehicles over the government run SRTC since the private owners improved their services with each passing day while the corporation could bring any change in its buses. The number kept on reducing and presently, the corporation is maintaining a fleet of 743 vehicles of which 550 are on roads while the rest are in the workshops. Drivers of these vehicles complain that vehicles are extremely bad condition of vehicles and the drivers find it difficult to drive these vehicles.
Officials said that a good number of SRTC vehicles have become redundant and despite reminding the state government, it has kept a mum on this issue. "Being old, the vehicles are a source of pollution which is great threat to our environment. We have been demanding new vehicles in place of old and leftover vehicles," added member of drivers association.
One of the drivers said that these vehicles are not comfortable like private vehicles. "Government has shown reluctance even in repairing these vehicles. Despite our repeated requests, repair mechanism is a complete failure," added the driver. Workers affirm the depleted condition of the buses of SRTC.
They said that revival is possible but it would take a courageous leader who could take decisions independently with regard to bringing this corporation back to life. "Around 77 employees have availed Voluntary Retirement Scheme and 88 others applied for this scheme around a month ago but govt is yet to respond," added a worker. He stressed that 237 others have availed Golden Hand Shake (GHS) scheme.
Others drivers said that they are being made to beg their salary from the state government. "We are yet to get our salary of the last two months and it is difficult for our employees to survive. Our G.P fund has not been deposited from 1999 which speaks in volumes about the interest of state government in keeping this corporation working," added a member of SRTC workers association.
He added that state government snatched their bus stand in the year 1987 and gave it to JDA. "We do not have any bus stand for parking our vehicles," added the worker. He maintained that an announcement was made with regard to buying 773 new vehicles but the idea is yet to see light of the day.
"Bus stand's main gate has been captured by private vehicle owners who forcibly take customers to their vehicles. Besides, passengers also prefer better and comfortable seating arrangement. They use rude languages and even manhandle our workers," added the worker. He maintained that drivers of SRTC have not been insured by state govt and work at their own risk.
Some other drivers said that at times of strike and war, it is the SRTC drivers work. "We ply vehicles even during strikes and on a few occasions, the SRTC employees have suffered grievous injuries but it all goes unnoticed," said an old driver.
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