The financial crisis gripping the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has rendered the fate of about 1 lakh job-seekers, mainly as drivers and conductors, uncertain.
This includes the 50,000-odd candidates who figured in the lists drawn up by the Public Service Commission (PSC) for the conductors’ post and about 25,000 for the drivers’ post as well as the 9,300 short-listed for immediate placement as conductors.
On gearing up to publish a jumbo list of candidates, KSRTC authorities had informed the commission that it was unable to absorb such a large number of candidates and insisted on restricting it to 3,300. The grave crisis owing to the spurt in diesel price and other financial liabilities accrued from time to time were cited as reasons for limiting the absorption and it was well accepted. The arguments were found to be sound and convincing.
The undue haste shown by the commission in advising such a large number of candidates in an unrealistic manner had also come in for criticism. The commission expedited the recruitment on the premise that the corporation had reported so much vacancies over a period of time and the vacancies once reported cannot be cancelled on any ground. The commission authorities had also issued strict directives to the staff to expedite the procedures to issue the advice memo before Onam.
While rushing through the procedures, the commission authorities were warned of the consequences in going ahead with such a massive recruitment process without considering ground realities, sources said.
Now, the fate was uncertain for 3,300 candidates expecting immediate placement, the 6,300 persons awaiting appointment against the arising vacancies, and those awaiting their turn in the PSC list.
The empanelled employees of the corporation were facing the threat of expulsion. Commission sourced told The Hindu here on Wednesday that the requests of the government on various grounds to extend the tenure of lists had also caused the present crisis.
Even after being sure that all those who figured on the list do not get placed, all of them tend to wait without exploring other options. The wait would prove futile and their hopes for a government job are dashed.
The government, PSC, and the corporation would have to jointly work out a solution at least in the interests of those expecting immediate placement and those who got advice memos, sources said.
