This list was drawn up by the administrative department on the orders of the new KSRTC MD Tomin J Thachankary.Thiruvananthapuram: KSRTC has initiated disciplinary action against employees keeping away from duty for long periods. The corporation has sacked 450 employees who abstained from work for over five years. At least, 500 more are likely to be sacked as their names appear in another list of personnel who have not turned up at their offices for a considerable time. This list was drawn up by the administrative department on the orders of the new KSRTC MD Tomin J Thachankary.
The process to eliminate long-term absentees had begun earlier after the former KSRTC MD, A Hemachandran, accepted the resignation of 606 employees who had secured other jobs. Though these employees had submitted their resignations, the authorities had not taken up further procedures. When he came to know about this, he ended the services of several assistant depot engineers, conductors, drivers, mechanics, painters, guards, peons and store keepers in January this year. Subsequently, Hemachandran himself terminated the services of 450 employees who had been served with show-cause notices but failed to give satisfactory explanations. However, three employees who produced medical certificates after being served with the notices were reinstated.
After Thachankary took over as the MD recently, the work on preparing the list of long-term absentees began. He was informed that several employees were engaged in other jobs also. Such staff will be served with notices and if their replies are not acceptable, action will follow. Administrative section executive director K M Sreekumar told Manorama online that the work on finalising the list was underway.
Leave up to five years
According to the rules of the KSRTC, employees can avail leave up to five years. With the permission of unit chiefs, subordinates can go on leave for 14 days at a stretch. For further leave, the unit chief should forward documents, including medical certificates, to the executive director of administrative section. The executive director can sanction leave up to 90 days. For longer periods, the employee should get the permission of the MD. KSRTC employees avail long leave to work abroad but they are not allowed leave to take up other jobs in Kerala.
Last year’s figures show that the strength of permanent staff in KSRTC was 34,966. The Susheel Khanna report on the reconstitution of KSRTC says that there are 8.7 employees per bus.
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