10,000 job vacancies filled in transport department since 2023: Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said on Thursday that the department had filled 10,000 posts in the last two-and-a-half years. These included 1,000 appointments on compassionate grounds that had been pending for six to seven years. 

Addressing a press conference here, he criticised the opposition BJP over government job vacancy protests, pointing out that when the party was in power from 2019 to 2023, recruitment for 13,900 posts had been stopped in the Transport Department. 

“Even recruitment notifications issued during our (previous) tenure (2013-2018) were put on hold during 2019–2023,” he stated. 

Reddy noted that during the BJP government, many examinations and recruitments were “hit by paper leaks and corruption.” 

He assured that the Congress government was committed to filling vacancies and pointed out that the Finance Department had already approved filling 60,000 posts. 

Road safety campaign on March 7

Separately, Reddy said the Transport Department, in collaboration with various departments and organisations, will conduct a ‘5K Safe-A-Thon’ in Bengaluru on March 7 to raise public awareness about road safety. 

The event, conducted under the theme of ‘Our Roads – Our Safety,’ aims to protect public lives, he added. 

He noted that rising road accidents were alarming, with speeding, violation of traffic rules and negligence being the main causes. Creating public awareness to prevent these issues is the campaign’s primary objective. He urged citizens to participate in the campaign by walking, cycling or running, and to take a pledge for safe road usage. 

The event will run from 6 am to 9 am at Sree Kanteerava Stadium. Entry will be free. Participants need to register via www.saferoadskarnataka.com or by scanning the QR code.