CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has informed Madras High Court that it has sanctioned Rs 462 crore to clear amounts due to retired employees of various state transport corporations.
Of this amount, Rs 267 crore has been earmarked towards settlement of statutory dues of retired employees and the balance towards the second and final settlement of accident claims compensation awarded by various courts and tribunals, Advocate General Vijay Narayan said.
The amount of Rs 462 crore was sanctioned through a November 18 Government Order and would be disbursed within a week from today, the AG told a division bench, comprising Justices S Manikumar and M Govindaraj.
The government had directed the Under Secretary,Transport department,to present necessary bills with reference to the GO to the Pay and Accounts Office and draw an Account Payee cheque in favour of Public Deposit Account and disburse it to Tamil Nadu Transport Development Finance Corporation Limited.
The AG also submitted that on receipt of the amount from the government, Managing Directors of all State Transport Corporation undertakings would deposit the compensation amount to the respective courts/tribunals dealing with motor accident claim cases, which would deposit the compensation awarded to the account of the claimants by RTGS or such other method.
All this shall be done within one week, the bench said and posed the matter for further hearing on November 24.
Originally, one R Mayandi Servai (82), a retired TNSTC employee based in Madurai, sent a post card to the vacation bench of Justices M V Muralidaran and N Seshasayee at Madurai on May 16 last.
He claimed that the benefits due to him had not been settled even after 24 years after retirement and that there hundreds of of similarly placed employees.
Taking serious note of the post card, Justice Muralidaran had directed the High Court registry to treat it as a suo-motu PIL.
Thereafter, the case was transferred to the principal seat of the High Court in Chennai and posted before the present bench.