KOCHI: The probe report on the alleged melee caused by Congress activists at Kochi metro stations and overcrowding in trains will be submitted to Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) Managing Director Elias George on Monday.
Mr. George had directed the metro agency’s director (finance) Abraham Oommen to conduct a probe into the incident in which Congress activists allegedly created pandemonium on the metro premises when party leaders, led by former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, travelled on the metro on Wednesday.
The report was to be submitted on Saturday. The officer leading the probe has been asked to inspect all CCTV footage and question all witnesses — mostly security guards and other employees at stations — before submitting the report on Monday. While most of the footage has been analysed, the signed statements of all witnesses are needed, since they have legal repercussions. Offenders will be charged under the provisions of metro-rail rules and other relevant laws, metro sources said.
Meanwhile, KMRL is learnt to have reached an in-principle agreement with a hostel run by nuns at Kakkanad to provide accommodation at a nominal tariff to 13 people from the transgender community who were designated jobs like housekeeping and ticket vending at metro stations. This follows concerns raised by them that house owners were hesitant to provide them rental accommodation. They had also expressed concern over their inability to raise money for accommodation from their ₹9,000 monthly pay.
The metro agency is also learnt to have agreed to provide them transportation facilities from their places of stay.
A KMRL official said the transgender community members were paid on a par with other staffers selected from among the Kudumbasree workforce.
While KMRL said that two others from the community who were trained to man stations did not qualify for the posts, the rest of the transgender staffers had refused to join duty, citing inadequate pay.
