KSRTC to rope in Covid-19 recovered employees to boost morale of work force

Facing the challenge of moving people between districts amid the coronavirus pandemic, the KSRTC has decided to adopt a noble way to reinforce confidence in its employees by bringing in those who have been discharged after Covid-19 treatment for counselling their colleagues.

Officials in KSRTC have been trying to keep their employees motivated as the total number of employees infected with the virus touched 250. Officials noted that 137 of them have already been discharged and the very news of their discharge comes as a positive one to others.

"We have 113 employees in isolation. The depot mangers/divisional controllers and divisional labour welfare officers keep in touch with employees in Covid Care Centres (CCC) as well as their families on a daily basis," a senior official in KSRTC said.

KSRTC drivers and conductors have been working even during the lockdown period for carrying labourers who desperately wanted to leave Bengaluru due to lack of jobs/earning and reach their home towns.

Those who got discharged will not be disturbed for some days, even after their quarantine ends. "We want them to feel comfortable. When they return to work, they will lead a team in each division. They will share their experiences to bring awareness among employees and instill confidence among them on fighting Covid-19," the official said.

The KSRTC, with a fleet of 8500 buses, is not running even a quarter of the regular services due to the low ridership. "We are calling employees on need basis and to keep the operations at optimum level to meet the demand," officials said.

On Wednesday, Chikkaballapur Division Controller V Basavaraju personally visited the CCC at Morarjee Desai Residential Hostel at Mastenahalli in Chintamani Taluk to receive 12 discharged employees by giving them bouquet.

The KSRTC arranged a bus to the discharged employees to their respective home town as the CCC was 12 km from the Chintamani Depot. "That's a gesture we have shown to all our employes getting discharged from CCC," the official added.