HC asks CTC to pay salaries, arrears to employees

The Calcutta High Court today directed CTC Ltd, a West Bengal government undertaking which operates trams and buses in the city, to pay the salaries and arrears of 126 employees, which had been stopped by the present government in 2012.
Justice Aniruddha Bose, acting on a contempt petition against the CTC authorities, directed the managing director of the company to restart payment of salaries to the 126 employees from October and clear their arrears in 16 months.
Justice Bose also directed CTC authorities to file a compliance report on November 12.
In October 2010, 258 people had been appointed in different fields and were confirmed as regular staff after six months, Arun Maity and Kaberi Sengupta, counsels for a section of the aggrieved employees, said.

In October 2011, the new dispensation stopped the salaries of these employees claiming irregularities in appointment process.
In March 2012 these employees moved the high court seeking restoration of their salaries.

In April that year, Justice Aniruddha Bose directed that any investigation into their appointment process be completed within six months and if nothing was found, then their regular salaries be restored.
Claiming that the order was not carried out by the CTC authorities, a section of employees moved a contempt petition before the court.
CTC authorities claimed before the court that it had found irregularities in the appointment of around 18 such employees, among those who had moved the petition.

Justice Bose today directed the CTC MD to restore salaries of 126 employees, who had moved the contempt petition.