Thiruvananthapuram: The April salaries of KSRTC employees were not disbursed yesterday either. Though Transport Minister Antony Raju met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to discuss the severe financial crisis, it did not pave the way for a solution. Responding to media after meeting the Chief Minister, the Minister said that he would not give in to the insistence of the trade unions. He said the government would intervene only if necessary.
At the same time, KSRTC’s 52 depots are being mortgaged to banks for loans and other necessities. 3100 crore was borrowed by Iowa Depots in 2018.
KSRTC has 94 centers with depot and sub-depot operating center, 5 regional workshops and head office. It is estimated that if 30 more depots are mortgaged, another Rs 400 crore will be available for the loan. It was the trade unions who harassed the people by pushing the workers to strike without accepting the assurances given by the government.
He said he had not discussed with the Chief Minister about getting financial assistance. The decision of the management will be delayed as KSRTC MD went to attend the seminar in Amsterdam. The CITU leadership said it would meet the chief minister yesterday but the meeting did not take place. BMS and TDF will hold depot-centric protests from today
