Shocked at the subhuman conditions that employees and passengers are forced to endure at the main bus stand of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has registered a suo motu case against the management.
The action follows an inspection of the 5.75-acre-premises located in the heart of the city by acting Chairman of the Commission P. Mohanadas on Monday. “The condition of the KSRTC bus stand is horrible, pathetic and deplorable. Conductors and drivers have to put up with inhuman conditions in rooms allotted to them. The building is in such a decrepit condition that no one knows when it will collapse,” he said.
Mosquitoes that breed in the extremely dirty premises of the stand enter the building through openings in the walls and windows. “There are no mosquito nets, while most fans do not work. Even migrant workers do not live here in such conditions. This is flagrant violation of basic human rights,” he said.
This is Mr. Mohanadas’s second visit to the stand in the past six months. A case registered during his previous visit was closed after the KSRTC management gave an assurance that the stand premises would be cleaned and the depot would be shifted to a temporary building (to pave the way for a bus stand-cum-commercial complex project which has been hanging fire for the past four years). Back then, Mr. Mohandas had directed the managing director of KSRTC to take steps to set things right.
“But nothing has happened so far. The deep cracks on the walls of the new structure built by the KSRTC to house the mechanical workshop show the lack of efficiency of its civil engineering officials. It may collapse any time. The engineer concerned must be made personally liable and a Vigilance inquiry must be conducted urgently,” Mr. Mohanadas told mediapersons after his visit to the premises.
“The condition of the office rooms is also pathetic. They are shabbily maintained and get flooded during the rains. The managing director of KSRTC and the Minister for Transport must set things right. The blatant violation of the rights of commuters must not go unnoticed.”
Unhygienic
“No one can have a cup of tea or water from eateries since it may lead to contagious diseases. The water tank and septic tanks are located side by side, and I saw the filth overflowing from the septic tank and lying near the water tank. It is astonishing that higher officials are turning a blind eye to these. Tax payers have the right to question them about their inaction,” said Mr. Mohanadas.
He directed the managing director of KSRTC to inspect the stand immediately and file a report before the commission within four weeks. The civil engineer who supervised the construction of the workshop must appear in person before the camp court in the city during its upcoming sitting in November, he added.
Employees, many of whom were seen cleaning buses while standing in pools of dirty water, said that over half the workforce got infected with dengue during the monsoon due to the subhuman working conditions. They blamed trade unions for not taking up their plight with the management and the government.
