KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Monday criticised the KSRTC for not implementing its order directing it to retrench empanelled conductors who have not completed 10 years and 120 days of minimum service.
The court directed the KSRTC to appoint those who got advise memo forthwith and ensure no more ineligible empanel conductors are in service. The court asked the managing director to file an affidavit in this regard on Tuesday.
When the case came up for hearing, the Division Bench comprising Justice V Chitambaresh and Justice R Narayana Pisharadi observed the KSRTC was attempting to take the court for a ride. Besides, the KSRTC is trying to fool the public and how long it can do that?
The Bench said: “We know how the order is to be implemented. We also know how to move against the officers at the helm of affairs who’re reluctant to comply with the order.”
The court had directed to dispense with the service of 4,071 empanelled conductors within one week on December 6. However, the KSRTC approached the court seeking two more months to implement the order. It was declined.
The candidates in the PSC list have been waiting for two years. They prepared for the examination and cracked it. Then why the KSRTC is giving preference for the empanel conductors who were appointed from the list of employment exchange. There was no justification for this and it was highly illegal and arbitrary.
KSRTC’s Sabarimala special services hit
Sabarimala: The dismissal of empanel conductors from KSRTC following the has started affecting the Sabarimala special service, particularly the Pampa service from long-distance KSRTC stations, sources in the corporation said on Monday. As many as 24 empanel conductors from the Pampa bus station and 59 from Nilakkal were among the empanel conductors dismissed. The move had started affecting the Nilakkal-Pampa chain service, said sources. Though the KSRTC redeployed conductors from other KSRTC depots to Pampa and Nilakkal to ensure the smooth running of the Nilakkal-Pampa chain service, it was adversely affecting the functioning of special schedules from long distance KSRTC stations.