THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Jayaprakash, a KSRTC driver with the Palode depot in Thiruvananthapuram who was falsely accused of reporting to duty drunk following a faulty breathalyser test on Friday morning, was cleared of all charges hours later after a medical examination.
The incident on Friday morning had triggered a protest at the depot after Jayaprakash was denied a retest by the station master. The routine breathalyser test, made mandatory by the transport department in its bid to curb drink driving, was conducted when Jayaprakash reported for duty on his usual Palode-Perayam route.
Of the nearly 50 employees tested, his result showed a reading of 16. Jayaprakash, who maintained he has been a teetotaller, alleged the breathalyser device was faulty and added that it had been an issue in the past too. He then filed a complaint with the Palode police station.
Following media coverage of the protest by Jayaprakash and his family, Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar directed the KSRTC CMD to look into the matter.
A district transport officer visited the depot and took both Jayaprakash and the device to the KSRTC headquarters. An examination by a medical officer confirmed Jayaprakash was not drunk.
This is the second controversy related to breathalyser tests in KSRTC in recent times. Earlier, a conductor at the KSRTC Kozhikode depot was found “drunk”, but it was later revealed that a homoeopathic medicine containing alcohol had led to the result.
According to Ganesh Kumar, strict implementation of the testing has contributed to a decline in accident-related fatalities involving KSRTC buses.
In the 2023-24 fiscal, KSRTC procured 20 new breathalyser units for Rs 7.6 lakh. Each device, equipped with a printer, camera and GPS, costs Rs 38,012.