THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Transport Minister portfolio has once again been proved unlucky with the exit of Thomas Chandy. The LDF Government has seen two transport ministers resigning in the past one-and-a-half years and it is all set to repeat the three-minister term seen during the last UDF Government.
The most affected organisation by these frequent changes is the KSRTC which is on the verge of a major revival plan for its survival. The Pinarayi Vijayan Government has appointed IIM-C professor Susheel Khanna to restructure the ailing corporation back to sustainable level. The KSRTC is intended to take a long-term loan from a bank consortium to the tune of `3,200 crore as part of its revival package.
Finance Minister Thomas Isaac in his budget speech this year said this fiscal would be the “Year of revival” for the KSRTC. But those who have seen the decline of the KSRTC from close quarters do not share this optimism and they expect the crisis in the KSRTC would deepen in the coming days due to its ‘leader-less situation.’
Former Transport Minister Tiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said the frequent change in the ministry would affect the confidence of the stakeholders. “The KSRTC should be under a Transport Minister who can closely monitor its development. The Chief Minister holding the temporary charge would be too busy to handle its functions, let alone take important decisions,” said Radhakrishnan. According to him, banks committing long term loans to the KSRTC will be apprehensive with the frequent change at the top. He himself was the third transport minister in the Oommen Chandy Government.
Trade union leaders are equally apprehensive of the frequent change at the ministry and at the KSRTC. “Frequent changes in top leadership has been the bane of the KSRTC. In the past 20 years, we have seen at least three ministers and CMDs in a government’s term,” said Kerala State Road Transport Employees Association (AITUC-KSRTEA) general secretary MG Rahul.
According to him, it usually takes some time for a minister or a CMD to study the organisation, take action and get the desired result. The initiatives taken by the KSRTC were affected when the government decided to replace CMD MG Rajamanickam with DGP A Hemachandran, who was transferred after Solar Commission report find fault in the investigation team he headed.
Crisis may deepen
Banks committing long term loans to the KSRTC will be apprehensive with the frequent change at the top
The KSRTC is intended to take a loan from a bank consortium to the tune of `3,200 crore as part of its revival package
Govt appointed IIM-C professor Susheel Khanna to restructure the ailing corporation back to sustainable level it usually takes some time for a minister or a CMD to study the organisation and get desired result.