Road transport corporation staff worried about pay

About 1.32 lakh employees working in the four road transport corporations (RTC) are a worried lot as the government is yet to process a request by officials to provide Rs 330 crore for paying their salaries.

The revenue generation at the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation has taken a beating following the lockdown imposed due to Covid-19 scare. The state-run transport corporation has sustained a losses to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore since the suspension of bus operation. The Transport department has written to the government seeking Rs 330 crore for disbursing the staff salary.

However, the government has failed to release about Rs 1,300 crore due to the RTCs as compensation for various bus pass schemes. "The rise in diesel prices has dealt a big blow to the RTCs over the last two years. The government utilises the services of the corporations for its welfare schemes but fails to fund them,” sources in the Transport department said.

An employee at KSRTC said those in the officer cadre would get their salary on the first day of the month while the next rung officials and the staffers, including drivers and conductors, would be paid within the first week. "Many staffers have already begun work as part of essential service. They are worried about delay," he said.

A senior official in the department, however, said the government has held a meeting with them and indicated that the funds would be provided. Asked for a specific date, the offcial said: “The government has not said ‘no’. We will get our funds. Cannot comment on when we will get it,” he said.

The KSRTC Staff and Workers Federation said the government should not expect the RTCs to generate revenue in the coming days even if transportation is restored in green zones and therefore actively fund them instead.