HC order a bolt from the blue for KSRTC

Two options before the utility are appealing against the order or seeking time to execute it

The Kerala High Court directive to dispense with the services of the 1,565 empanelled drivers by April 30 has come as a bolt from the blue for the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) that is facing severe financial crisis.

The management, the government and the trade unions have been caught on the wrong foot again within five months after the KSRTC was forced to dispense with the service of 3,861 empanelled conductors as ordered by the High Court.

Minister’s directive

Transport Minister A.K. Saseendran has said the Transport Department and the KSRTC have been asked to look into all angles in the wake of the directive.

Going for appeal against Monday’s court order and seeking time to execute the order are the two options before the KSRTC management.

The High Court Bench’s tough stance in the case of empanelled conductors is before the management and Transport Department. Last year, the Division Bench had declined the plea of the KSRTC to extend by two months the deadline for implementing its directives.

A decision on the way forward is to be taken considering all these factors once the management and the Transport Department get the order from the High Court.

Unlike in the case of the empanelled conductors who had to be terminated in December last, there is no live rank list of the Kerala Public Service Commission for recruiting drivers to the KSRTC. The general secretary of the CITU-affiliated Kerala State Road Transport Employees Association (KSRTEA) C.K. Harikrishnan and working president of the INTUC-affiliated Transport Democratic Front (TDF) R. Sasidharan said the management would have to take a call as there was no live PSC list.

The High Court had ruled that empanelled drivers could not continue beyond 180 days and that the vacancies existing beyond that period should be filled up from the rank list prepared by the Public Service Commission.

Schedules to be hit

Retrenchment of empanelled drivers will affect schedules. The KSRTEA and the TDF, recognised trade unions, who had fought against the retrenchment of the empanelled conductors, kept a studied silence on Monday saying they would respond after seeing the detailed judgement.