MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court recently told the state transport department to strictly ensure that drivers and conductors working in the State Transport Undertakings should not be allotted other work, except when they suffer disability while on duty and are found unfit to continue in their respective posts.
A bench of justices N Sathish Kumar and M Jothiraman made the observations while hearing a petition filed by Arasu Pokkuvarathu Thozhilalar Sangam in 2019, alleging that nearly 208 drivers and conductors, who are members of Anna Thozhir Sangam affiliated to the then ruling AIADMK party, were drawing salary without performing their respective duty under the pretext of being engaged 'on other duty', such as administrative works.
According to the petitioner association, the state transport department had passed a GO on October 31, 2018, directing Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC)- Madurai, to streamline existing staff strength in the offices of Depots, Regions and Head Office of the department based on the number statement annexed in the GO, which revealed that 184 drivers, 81 conductors and 135 technical staff were working in excess in the department.
While analyzing the expenditures related to the State Transport Undertakings, the government found that 71% of the cash utilisation is currently spent on manpower costs, and there are no clear restrictions on the number of employees at any given station, the GO said. Instructions were given to TNSTC that the posts of drivers and conductors may continue to be filled only according to the number of scheduled services, and no further recruitment or induction is permitted until the excess staff mentioned in the statement are adjusted against retirement vacancies.
The GO also indicated that the drivers and conductors should not be utilised for other duties, the association noted. In this regard, a settlement was arrived at under Section 12(3) of the Industrial Dispute Act between the Trade Unions and the second respondent Corporation, it added. However, the same situation is still continuing even after the change in the government, the association alleged, and submitted an RTI reply dated May 15, 2025, which showed that nearly 264 drivers and conductors are still engaged in administrative work in the name of other duties.
Moreover, the TNSTC-Madurai division has 362 vacancies for the post of drivers, and the said vacancies were being filled temporarily through an outsourcing method, the judges also observed and criticised the department for doing so when the permanent staff have already been appointed for the above posts but have been allocated for administrative works.
The judges disposed of the petition by directing the government to strictly implement the above GO and settlement, adding that in case of any violation of the same, any workmen or trade union can file a contempt petition.