Seeman condemns TN govt's move to privatise bus operations

CHENNAI: Seeman, convenor of Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK), has condemned the DMK government's move to allow private companies to operate government buses in the city, as reported by Thanthi TV.

In a statement on Monday, Seeman said that the state government was going against the grain of social justice with this move which was also destroying the state transport department. Until 2017, there were 23,000 buses in the government's fleet, now it has dropped by 4000 buses to 19,000, he said.

"Under the guise of providing free buses, the government has incurred so much loss that it is trying to compensate by scrapping buses on several routes," the NTK leader alleged.

Seeman also wondered why the government had not yet filled the 25,000 existing vacancies in the transport department, hired wards of deceased transport employees on compassionate grounds, or hiked the pensions for senior employees.

"Bus operators do not have proper health insurance schemes. The government that promptly makes up for the losses of the electricity department is clearly showing a step-motherly treatment to the transport department," the opposition leader added.

Pointing out that the government seemed keen to privatise everything in the state except the liquor shops, Seeman went on to add that the DMK has not bothered to keep the tall promises it made while asking people to vote for them. "It is time that the government rolled back its decision to privatise bus operations in the state and took efforts to improve the working conditions and benefits for the bus operators," he stated.