Ramesh Chennithala says Transport Minister ‘weakening KSRTC to benefit’ private operators in Kerala

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Friday alleged that the Transport Minister was “deliberately weakening” the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to “benefit” private bus operators.

Inaugurating the Kannur district conference of the Transport Workers’ Union, INTUC, at the Kannur DCC auditorium, Mr. Chennithala said the Minister’s approach amounted to “abandoning KSRTC to a slow death” by failing to purchase new buses and by not making necessary appointments.

He accused the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of dismantling the public sector undertaking while simultaneously stripping employees of their rightful benefits.

Mr. Chennithala alleged that KSRTC employees were being “cheated” by the government’s refusal to grant even a 1% dearness allowance.

He said the LDF government’s policies had severely affected the welfare and morale of KSRTC workers.