Kochi: The operations of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) may be hit in a major way on Monday post retrenchment of 2,107 empanelled drivers following a court direction.
According to officials, over 500 services, mostly ordinary services, will have to be cancelled on Monday due to driver shortage when a heavy rush of passengers will be experienced. The southern region is expected to bear the maximum brunt as the maximum 1,479 drivers are from there followed by 371 in northern region and 257 in central region.
Even on Sunday, as many as 596 schedules were cancelled as compared to that of the previous week (June 23) when a total of 4,416 schedules out of the total 5,838 were operated.
“We didn’t feel the effect on Sunday when relatively less passengers travel. However, we fear some of the services may be forced to cancel on Monday. Priority will be given for Fast Passenger and upper class services. None of the inter-state or low-floor AC buses on peak hours will be cancelled,” a senior official said.
Meanwhile, the KSRTC management is learnt to have sought legal opinion as to whether the corporation can enter into another temporary contract with drivers to tide over crisis.
“It will take minimum two months to induct new drivers via employment exchange. Hence we thought of another fresh contract with the drivers so as to not affect daily operations,” the official said.
The High Court directed to dismiss those empanelled drivers who have not completed 180 days on April eight. Though the staff moved the Supreme Court, the apex court upheld the verdict and directed to retrench the drivers by June 30.
