'They thought KSRTC would be left without any employees if 70–80 workers were suspended in a day, actions did not cause any crisis to KSRTC'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Transport Minister KB Ganesh Kumar said that more people will use public transport if they understand that they will be safe and arrive on time while travelling on KSRTC buses. He said that new projects are being implemented in the KSRTC keeping this in mind.

"More KSRTC buses have been launched and action was taken after finding those employees who report for duty after getting drunk. Employees found working under the influence of alcohol were suspended for three months. After 90 days, they were reinstated in the same depot without paperwork. Several media outlets had raised concerns about this project when we first introduced it. They thought that KSRTC would be left without any employees if 70–80 workers were suspended in a single day," the minister said.

"However, the actions did not cause any crisis in KSRTC. 15 weeks have passed since the inspections began. The number of accidents has come down to 26 last week. Passengers and those using the road have become safe because of the actions introduced in the KSRTC," he added.