KALABURGI: Appearances can be deceptive, but not always. One such instance where the age-old adage is likely to prove false is the state of the employees of the Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation ,KKRTC), who are forced to wear faded and even torn uniformsnot having been provided new ones for the past three years.
Besides KKRTC, the three other divisions of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) have been struggling to find funds to distribute new sets of uniform to their employees. Employees across KSRTC’s four divisions have not been issued new uniforms since 2018.
KKRTC employees, including mechanics, conductors, drivers and security staff, were issued two new pairs of uniform every year, in addition to which they were given money – Rs 175 – as stitching charges. Although the corporation has to give each employee a set of shoes along with the two pairs of uniforms, KKRTC used to give the staff a sum of Rs 500 in lieu of the footwear.
On the one hand, drivers, conductors and security personnel in the employ of KKRTC don khaki uniforms, while the mechanics wear dark blue clothes.
Across the four divisions, KSRTC incurred enormous losses in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, and many employees had to stay content with being paid salary once in two months. Thankfully, that situation has improved with employees being paid their monthly salary on time, but the fiscal crisis that the corporation is grappling with has resulted in KSRTC not having enough funds to distribute new uniforms to its staff. KSRTC employs, across four divisions, 1.2 lakh employees.
A KKRTC conductor told TOI, “We are penalised by officers if we do not wear the uniform to work. How can they expect us to wear the uniform when they know that we have not been issued new sets. I have been wearing a khaki shirt, which is torn. My pant is also torn, and in no condition to be worn. But I have been doing my duty for the past few months, managing with just one shirt.”
Besides KKRTC, the three other divisions of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) have been struggling to find funds to distribute new sets of uniform to their employees. Employees across KSRTC’s four divisions have not been issued new uniforms since 2018.
KKRTC employees, including mechanics, conductors, drivers and security staff, were issued two new pairs of uniform every year, in addition to which they were given money – Rs 175 – as stitching charges. Although the corporation has to give each employee a set of shoes along with the two pairs of uniforms, KKRTC used to give the staff a sum of Rs 500 in lieu of the footwear.
On the one hand, drivers, conductors and security personnel in the employ of KKRTC don khaki uniforms, while the mechanics wear dark blue clothes.
Across the four divisions, KSRTC incurred enormous losses in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, and many employees had to stay content with being paid salary once in two months. Thankfully, that situation has improved with employees being paid their monthly salary on time, but the fiscal crisis that the corporation is grappling with has resulted in KSRTC not having enough funds to distribute new uniforms to its staff. KSRTC employs, across four divisions, 1.2 lakh employees.
A KKRTC conductor told TOI, “We are penalised by officers if we do not wear the uniform to work. How can they expect us to wear the uniform when they know that we have not been issued new sets. I have been wearing a khaki shirt, which is torn. My pant is also torn, and in no condition to be worn. But I have been doing my duty for the past few months, managing with just one shirt.”
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