KSRTC suffer losses of over Rs 50 cr on hartal day, several employees left seriously injured

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: KSRTC, which operated buses on the hartal day by trusting the police, suffered losses amounting to lakhs of rupees. The government informed the High Court that 70 buses were vandalized all over the state. It is estimated losses due to damage stand at about half a crore rupees. Transport Minister Antony Raju said in the morning that there has been damage amounting to more than Rs 30 lakh. Only about fifty buses were destroyed then. Several employees were left seriously injured. Assailants followed KSRTC buses on bikes and attacked.

Apart from the losses due to damage, the transport corporation also suffered losses by not being able to operate buses. The hartal inflicted even more damage on an already struggling institution like KSRTC. It will take days to repair damaged buses and put them into service. This will add to the losses.

A case has been registered against those who destroyed public property. The minister said that necessary measures will be taken to compensate KSRTC for the losses incurred.

Stones were thrown at buses in Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Palakkad, Kannur and Kottayam districts. In Thiruvananthapuram, KSRTC buses were pelted with stones and windows were broken. The hartal supporters blocked the vehicles at Kattakkada. Passengers say that when they sought the help of police to make travel possible, the cops were allegedly smiling. In Pathanamthitta, driver P Rajendran suffered an eye injury in the stone pelting on the Pandalam-Perumon bus. He was admitted to the hospital. Stones were pelted at buses in Aluva and Alappuzha. The driver, who suffered an eye injury in the stone pelting near the Kozhikode Civil Station, was also admitted to the hospital. There was stone pelting on a KSRTC bus at Koliyakode near Venjaramood in Thiruvananthapuram.