Ex-minister’s kin fails in admission test, SRTC withdraws bus service to school

Sources told Greater Kashmir that till March 2014, the SRTC was offering its bus service to the private school for ferrying students and earned Rs 3 crore annually (Rs 25 lakh/month).
“However last year, a former minister’s grand daughter was denied admission by the missionary school after she failed to qualify the entrance test. The minister then asked the Managing Director SRTC to influence his kin’s selection which however didn’t work,” the sources said. “Some days later, the Managing Director SRTC, all of a sudden, decided to stop services to the school to take revenge for denial of admission to kin of the minister.”
To mention, till March 2014, the SRTC was providing bus services to leading missionary schools in Kashmir including Burn Hall and Presentation Convent.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, Managing Director SRTC, JS Tandon, said fleet services to schools were stopped “as it was not earning profit for the corporation.”
“Our Economic Advisor had suggested that fleet service to schools was not profitable for the Corporation. The decision of halting transport service to them was taken after consultation with the former Minister, Chowdhary Muhammad Ramzan, and other senior officials of the corporation,” he said.
However, a senior SRTC official said providing service to private schools was one of the profit-making ventures for the corporation.
“Our estimated earning-per-kilometer (EPK) on providing bus service (to schools) was Rs 33 which is much higher than what we are earning on normal
transport services. SRTC’s EPK in inter-state routes is pegged at Rs 17 to Rs 19,” he said, adding, “The decision to stop services to schools shows how affairs of the corporation are being mismanaged.”
Official sources said the “mismanagement” in running the affairs of the corporation is taking a heavy toll not only on employees but also on maintenance of fleet of trucks and vehicles.
“Every year state government provides grant in aid of Rs 30 crore to the Corporation and this year the aid will be increased, but nobody knows where the amount is being spend as both employees and pensioners are always knocking the doors of higher officials demanding release of their salaries and pensions,” they said.
Earlier last year, ex-Minister for Transport, Chowdhary Muhammad Ramzan reviewed the performance of the Corporation.
The meeting was informed that the Corporation had earned revenue of Rs. 99.84 crore during 2013-14 which was up by 11 per cent from the previous year’s Rs. 89.96 crore.