Thiruvananthapuram: Drivers and conductors of the crisis-stricken Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) received their April salaries on Friday after the state government granted an additional aid of Rs 20 crore. The other employees will receive their salary either on Saturday or Sunday.

The amount of Rs 30 crore given earlier by the state government was used to repay the earlier overdraft taken from the bank. Later, the KSRTC took Rs 50 crore from the bank as an overdraft.

The additional aid was given by the state government to the KSRTC after Transport Minister Antony Raju held talks with Finance Minister KN Balagopal.

A total of Rs 82 crore is needed every month to cover salary expenses.

CITU targets the minister

In another development, CITU State Chairman Anathalavattom Anandan, while speaking at the protest meeting organized by the union, sharply criticized the transport minister for blaming the unions for the crisis. salary.

He said that the minister’s statement that only the Company has sole responsibility for paying salaries in the KSRTC had hurt the feelings of the workers. He also opposed reforms such as circular city services and the introduction of CNG buses.

The CITU will come up with an alternative plan for reviving the debt-ridden KSRTC on June 6, Anandan said.

Meanwhile, the BMS-affiliated union in the KSRTC will start a hunger strike outside the ministers’ residence from today to protest the denial of wages to the workers.

Raju’s response

Meanwhile, Antony Raju claimed CITU did not criticize him.

Asked about former transport minister and LDF leader KB Ganesh Kumar’s remarks about KSRTC affairs, he said he did not want to respond to such idiotic statements.

Ganesh Kumar had said that the CPM should take over Raju’s transport portfolio.