The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is groping in the dark to mobilise resources to pay the salary and wages of its 31,000 employees with the government turning down the request for assistance of ₹50 crore in addition to the monthly ₹20-crore budgetary aid to the transport undertaking.
As in the past four months, it will be a delayed payment of salary and wages of October to the employees.
In view of the financial crisis, the corporation was forced to disburse only 80% of the salary and wages initially in September.
CMD’s letter
KSRTC Chairman and Managing Director M.P. Dinesh had written to the Principal Secretary, Transport, pointing out that the utility was running short of ₹69 crore for disbursing the salary and wages, which comes to ₹84 crore.
“If the government sanctions ₹16 crore from the monthly budgetary assistance, ₹53 crore has to be found. The salary and wages for October can be paid only by November end,” the CMD said in the letter.
Since June, the government has been reducing the monthly budgetary assistance for settling the dues of the KSRTC as agreed while inking a pact with a consortium of banks and has so far deducted ₹14 crore. This has upset repayments of the KSRTC and the disbursement of salary and wages , Mr. Dinesh said while seeking ₹70 crore for paying the salary and wages of October.
TDF threatens stir
Meanwhile, the INTUC-affiliated Transport Democratic Federation (TDF) has decided to go on a 24-hour strike from November 3 midnight demanding steps for pay revision, timely payment of salary, and payment of six DA instalments, among other things.
