Kochi: After struggling to pay pension dues, the Kerala State Road Transportation Corporation (KSRTC) has now defaulted on salary payment to over 35,000 employees.
The salary was so far given on the last working day of every month. However, it failed to pay this on Saturday, this month’s last working day.
“Earlier, we used to get our salary by 11 am on the last working day of the month. Then they started making the payment through the State Bank of Travancore.
Even then our money would get credited by 5 pm on the same day. However, this time over, we’re yet to get the payment,” said an employee.
The development comes at a time when Transport Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said the monthly loss had reached Rs 110 cr.
However, KSRTC Managing Director Antony Chacko cited a strike at the Palakkad Co-operative Bank as the reason for the delay in the payment of salary.
“Since the Government had announced a grant of Rs 300 cr, we’d arranged for two temporary loans of Rs 200 cr and Rs 100 cr respectively from two banks.
Out of which, the Palakkad Co-operative Bank was due to transfer the loan on Saturday. But some local issue prevented the same. I was there to personally inquire into the problem,” he said. The officer was confident that the salary could be disbursed on Monday or Tuesday.
