The UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) will be ensuring women’s employment as drivers and conductors for the state bus fleet, in the next recruitment phase, announced Managing Director UPSRTC, Masoom Ali Sarwar at a press conference on Thursday. He also reviewed several other ongoing on temporarily stalled procedures that the corporation had undertaken which are yet to see completion.
The MD announced that none of the 7000 buses that will be assigned for Maha Kumbh duty next year will be diesel buses - “We are trying to maintain a no-diesel policy for the festival, in keeping with our plan for electrification of the whole UPSRTC fleet.” Drivers and conductors will be provided funds to buy and wear uniforms while on Maha Kumbh duty - “we have been afforded a fund of Rs. 1000 crores by the state for Maha Kumbh,” he said.
This next phase of recruitment will be completed before the Maha Kumbh celebrations begin he further informed, wherein the UPSRTC will be hiring for 15000 positions - 1000 conductors and 5000 drivers. “This time we have been instructed that a certain number of these employments have to be women,” said Sarwar, “however, no exact percentage has been specified for reservation for women.”
Further, the MD has once again reiterated the corporation’s belief that the rate of road accidents in the state are due to the fault of drivers. And in that regard, counselling sessions, training of drivers as well as anti-sleep devices are being implemented for UPSRTC employees. Also, as announced by the corporation in the past, work on obtaining electric buses, setting up mini control centres, LED displays at bus stations and installing and implementing the use of panic buttons are all still underway.
{{/usCountry}}Further, the MD has once again reiterated the corporation’s belief that the rate of road accidents in the state are due to the fault of drivers. And in that regard, counselling sessions, training of drivers as well as anti-sleep devices are being implemented for UPSRTC employees. Also, as announced by the corporation in the past, work on obtaining electric buses, setting up mini control centres, LED displays at bus stations and installing and implementing the use of panic buttons are all still underway.
{{/usCountry}}Protests resume outside UPSRTC gates, MD repeats assurances
Similar is the case with the family members of deceased employees, who are awaiting a decision on their employment in the corporation. Having paused after a fortnight of protesting in June, aggrieved dependents are back at the UPSRTC Headquarter gates, sitting under a plastic shade to brave the rain, since the authorities have yet again defaulted on the announcement date.
The Managing Director has issued the same statement that was issued in June as well as August, when the corporation defaulted on the first few dates - “The cabinet decision is expected by the end of September, and we are hopeful of a positive outcome since the UPSRTC made profits in the last financial year. We are expecting that all the beneficiaries on the ‘Mritak Aashrit Program’ list will be getting jobs post the cabinet meeting on the same.”
While the audit of finances has been completed and a proposal prepared by the department, the cabinet meeting to approve and finalise the decision has been scheduled and postponed three times in the last three months. Enlisted dependents have arrived from across districts to continue their protests, and are threatening not to move until a favourable decision is made.