Karnataka - Bangalore   

Union flays RTC officials' Dubai trip

Bangalore: The visit of top officials from the State road transport corporations (RTCs) and Transport Minister R. Ashok to Dubai to receive PTx2 Asia-Pacific Regional Awards, instituted by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), has come under criticism.

Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the 10th Karnataka State Conference organised by General Insurance Employees' Union, All India Trade Union Congress AITUC general secretary H.V. Anantha Subba Rao said this “jaunt” had made the RTCs “headless.”

Taxpayer's money

“This trip is being funded by the All India State Road Transport Undertakings (AISRTU) to which all the State RTCs are affiliated and pay annual membership fees. As this fees is obviously from the taxpayer's money, it indirectly means the jaunt is funded by the public exchequer,” Mr. Subba Rao said.

The visiting team includes Syed Zameer Pasha, managing director (MD) of BMTC; S.K. Paramesh, director (Technical); Gaurav Gupta, KSRTC MD; K.A. Raj Kumar, director (Technical); Ganganna Gowda, divisional controller (Bangalore central); Hemaraju, NWKRTC MD; Mallikarjun Sahukar NWKRTC chairperson; Shankar Patil, NEKRTC MD; and M.K. Shankaralinge Gowda, Transport Secretary and NEKRTC chairperson.

“The team, which left Bangalore on April 10 to receive the awards and participate in the 59th UITP World Congress, is expected to return on April 18. If the Transport Department can function without these top officials for so many days, it can as well do without them at all. I feel two representatives could have gone and received the awards. The expenses on such trips are a national waste. Transport Department officials have at least three such jaunts a year,” he added.

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