Thiruvananthapuram: About 20% of the buses owned by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) remain unused, making its fleet utilisation the worst in the country, said Biju Prabhakar IAS on Sunday.
In the second episode of a five-part tell-all video series, the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the KSRTC said that as of Saturday, 1,180 buses owned by the Corporation were either idle or under repair.
Prabhakar has claimed that his attempts to increase productivity continue to be foiled by employees who oppose progressive ideas. ".. to increase productivity, just bringing the vehicles out of garages isn't enough, the utilisation of manpower has to improve.
"There is a framework, the Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961 (that tells about the hours and limitations of employment). I can only go by that book, I cannot work according to the rules in Saudi Arabia or at private firms," said Prabhakar alleging that several employees weren't even clocking the minimum required 16 working days a month.
In the first part of the series, Prabhakar outlined various issues plaguing the cash-strapped public transport body.
He said how the Corporation was struggling to disburse salaries on time while the fuel bill amounted to 50% of the income.
