UDF walkout in Ker Assembly over KSRTC mass termination

Opposition UDF staged a walk out in the Kerala Assembly Monday after heated exchanges with the ruling LDF over mass termination of 3,861 empanelled (temporary) bus conductors from state-owned KSRTC following a court order.

The UDF members alleged that the CPI(M)-led LDF government had not objected in the high court to the removal of the temporary conductors of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and had violated all employment laws while terminating their services.

These employees had toiled for the cash-strapped KSRTC for years on meagre daily wage of Rs 480, they said seeking to move an adjournment motion over the issue.

Earlier, rejecting the UDF allegations, state Transport Minister A K Saseendran, however, said the government was forced to sack the empanelled conductors following a high court order.

The court had passed the directive while considering the plea of the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC)-selected candidates waiting for appointment in the KSRTC.

Though the KSRTC management had approached the court seeking more time to implement the verdict, the plea was rejected, the minister said.

"The government had no other option but to implement the verdict at that time. But, we are still working on ways to resolve the issue and a four-member committee has been formed for the purpose," Saseendran said.

The minister asked why the UDF had not made appointments from the list of PSC rank holders when it was in power.

Acting on a December 6 directive of the court, the KSRTC had recently removed 3,861 empanelled conductors from service.

The court had given the order on a petition which contended that the temporary employees were blocking recruitment of conductors in the PSC rank list.

The court had held that the vacant posts should be filled from the rank list of the PSC.

Senior Congress leader and former minister Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan claimed the lack of effective intervention of the Left government had resulted in the high court verdict ordering removal of 3,861 empanelled conductors.

In a scathing attack on the KSRTC Chairman and Managing Director Tomin J Thachankary, he alleged the officer had already given a letter to the government seeking sacking of the temporary employees and the management had not opposed in the court the mass termination.

"The employees were terminated even without mandatory notice. It is against the employment laws. You (government) cannot wash your hands pointing to the court verdict. Kerala will never forgive you for this," Radhakrishnan said.

Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said there were instances when about 4,000 empanelled conductors had been made permanent during the UDF regime years ago.

At the same time, a total of 20,235 appointments had been made from the PSC rank list also, he claimed adding the present stalemate could have been avoided if the LDF government had followed a similar approach.

He also alleged that mismanagement of the public transporter had resulted in the KSRTC debt rising to Rs 4,000 crore under the three-year rule of the LDF government against Rs 2,130 crore during the previous UDF rule.

As Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan rejected their plea for the motion, the UDF members walked out of the House in protest.