Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)
Mangaluru, October 20: KSRTC bus drivers are being sacked and facing disciplinary action after the state government introduced Shakti, a free travel scheme for women in the state.
The government suspects that the KSRTC is simply sending more women passengers after the Shakti scheme is implemented. Now ticket verification has become strict. Although the drivers are giving adequate accounts, during the control, variations are observed in the passengers, which forces them to face disciplinary measures.
Women take a ticket from a particular destination to another destination. However, they fall in the middle, which puts drivers in trouble. When the ticket inspector arrives, he cannot find these passengers. It is not possible for a single driver to keep track of all the female passengers on the bus. More than 200 drivers across the state have been suspended for the same reason.
In the circular issued by the KSRTC after the introduction of the scheme, this matter is seriously mentioned. If it comes to light that a driver has issued more tickets than the actual number of female passengers, it will be considered a serious problem in urban and general transport and very serious in the Vegadhoot service.
One driver who is suspended said: “I have been suspended for three months through no fault of my own. We only receive half salary for three months. We do not receive increases in our entire lives. In addition, they send us to other units. After the introduction of the Shakti programme, there was a considerable increase in the number of female passengers. Is it possible to monitor everyone during the trip?
