Ganesh Kumar no going back on reforms; Suspends 97, terminates 40 from KSRTC

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar has made it clear that there will be no going back on his new reforms brought in the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). The KSRTC is continuing taking action against employees who come for duty in drunken condition. 97 employees found drunk during work have been suspended. Not only that 40 temporary employees were also dismissed. Action was taken against the employees for coming drunk and for storing alcohol during duty time. Transport Minister KB Ganesh Kumar took action against 100 employees for coming drunk to work, this month alone.

Meantime, seven people were caught yesterday in the KSRTC's on-duty raids to catch drunkards. Three of them are regular drivers and two are regular conductors. A temporary conductor and a driver-cum-conductor of the Swift were caught. Breath analyzers will be installed in all depots of KSRTC to detect intoxicants. 20 have been purchased. The minister also informed that 50 more will be purchased this month.

The employees will be suspended for one month if found drunk in pre-duty examination and three months in case of in-service tests. Temporary employees will be dismissed. The minister informed that checking will be done in private buses also. The motor vehicle department squad is responsible for checking private buses in stands. If the drivers are found to be drunk, the trip for that day will be cancelled.

The decision was based on complaints that many of the KSRTC drivers are coming for work under the influence of alcohol. Findings suggest that the new decision will help to reduce accidents. Along with this, the new decision is also based on the finding that the main reason behind misbehavior with passengers is consumption of alcohol during duty time. After the morning examination, there will be a squad check to ensure that no alcohol is consumed in between. If caught in this, a new method of punishment is planned to be implemented.