Appoint adequate workers for proper maintenance of transport corporation buses: AITUC

CHENNAI: AITUC-affiliated Tamil Nadu Transport Corporations Employees Union general secretary R Arumugham demanded the state government to appoint adequate manpower for the good maintenance of the corporation buses to ensure the safety of passengers.

In a statement, he said that transport corporations operate 19,469 buses across the state. Of them, 2000 buses are over 15 years old and should not be operated as per the newly amended Motor Vehicle Act. "However, aged buses were being operated citing non-operation of the buses during the Covid pandemic, " he said. He noted that all the buses were subjected to fitness tests by the RTOs every year.

Citing the two accidents involving the corporation buses at Thanjavur and Kumbakonam, he said that disciplinary action was initiated against the branch manager and maintenance workers at the depots. Following the accidents, he said that the chief secretary had directed the corporations to submit a report reviewing the conditions of all the buses but it was practically impossible to implement.

"For the good maintenance of a bus, it requires one worker per bus. The men per bus ratio has come down over the years. In the last 15 years, no new technical staff were recruited. To maintain aged buses, there is a need for more workers. Only if adequate workers were available, the buses could be maintained in good condition, " he said.

He demanded the government compensate the losses suffered by the corporations and ensure the availability of spare parts.