Pramesh S Jain & Yogesh K Porwar
C
hief Minister,Siddaramaiah,Deputy Chief Minister,DK Shivakumar,Ramalingareddy,Transport and Muzrai Minister,S R Srinivas,Chairman,KSRTC and MLA Gubbi and Sri Mohammed Rizwan Nawab,Vice Chairman, KSRTC inaugurated Corporations new Airavatha Club Class 2.0 Volvo Buses at the Grand Steps in Vidhan Soudha.
On this occasion, CM Siddaramaiah and other dignitaries presented Sarige Suraksha accident relief compensation cheque of Rs.1 Crore each to 2 deceased employee’s (Nagaraju M N,Conductor,Ramanagara Division and Shivanna,Driver-cum-Conductor,Mysore City Division)dependants and So far,dependants of 22 deceased employees are paid with accident compensation of Rs.22 crores.
Dependants of 5 employees who died due to ailments other than accidents are also paid family welfare compensation of Rs.10 Lakh each on this occasion.
While speaking on this occasion Deputy Chief Minister stated KSRTC is the first Corporation in the country to introduce these types of innovative schemes and under the guidance of Transport Minister the Corporation is bringing laurels to the Governments and all the employees of the corporation are appreciated for this effort.
Chairman KSRTC Stated that,the Corporation has introduced many innovative labour welfare schemes which are applauded in the country and in coming days also will continue to introduce many labour and passenger welfare schemes.
The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) provides transportation services to 34.92 lakh passengers daily through 8,849 vehicles by operating 8,068 schedules, covering 28.50 lakh kilometres.Of these, 17% of the services are dedicated to students.
Karnataka holds the first position among all state transport Corporations in the country, with a fleet of 24,282 state transport buses, signifying the empowerment of state road transport services.
The Government has approved addition of 5,800 new buses to the state transport Corporations,of which 3,417 buses have been added across four Corporations in the last year.
The Government has also granted permission for the recruitment of 9,000 posts across four Corporations and 1,883 drivers, conductors, and technical staff have been recruited till now. The recruitment process for 6,500 positions will be completed soon.
Under the Shakti Scheme, 317.18 crore women have travelled on Karnataka State transport vehicles, with a zero-ticket value of ₹7,656.33 crore.The proportion of women passengers stands at 58.10%.Prior to the implementation of the Shakti Scheme,an average of 82.51 Lakh passengers travelled daily on vehicles of the four Corporations, which has now increased to 108.09 Lakh.
Before the implementation of the Shakti Scheme, the number of trips operated daily across four Corporations was 1,58,909 which has increased to 1,72,333 resulting in an addition of 13,424 trips per day.
During last year 1000 dependants of deceased employees are appointed on compassionate grounds.
1. Sarige Suraksha Rs.1 Crore Accident Insurance Relief Scheme:
The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, with an intention to provide financial security to the dependents of its employees,has implemented an Accident Insurance Relief Scheme of providing Rs. 1 crore Accident Relief amount to the dependents of employees,who die in an accident while on duty or off-duty
So far,Rs.1 crore has been distributed to the families of 20 employees, and today, a sum of ₹1 crore each is being given to the dependents of below mentioned 2 deceased employees.
In total,22 families of employees have provided with Rs.22 crore compensation at Rs.1 crore each as accident relief.
2. Employee Family Welfare Relief Scheme:
Recognizing the increase in number of deaths among employees due to heart attack, cancer, stroke, etc., and considering the hardships faced by the dependents of such employees and in response to the demands from various labour organizations with an intent of providing greater financial assistance to the affected families.
The Corporation has increased the relief amount from ₹3 lakhs to ₹10 lakhs under the Employee Family Welfare Scheme for deaths occurring after 01.11.2023.
Under this revised relief scheme so far Rs.10 lakhs have been awarded in 76 cases, and today Rs.10 lakhs each has been distributed to the families of 5 more deceased employees (Mr. B Narayanappa, Conductor, Kolar, Mr. Somasekharappa, Driver/Conductor, Shivamogga, Mr. Rajasekhara NA, Artisan, Kolar, Mr. M Seenappa, Driver, Kolar and Mr. Jilani, Driver, Mangalore) and so far 81 employees have been provided Rs.8.10 crore compensation.
3. Bus Refurbishing:
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic,the Corporation faced severe financial constraints as it was unable to operate all its vehicles.
When demand for passenger transport increased post-COVID, the Corporation was not in a position to induct new vehicles and devised a plan to refurbish old vehicles with body repair that had covered 9 to 10 lakh Kms have been taken up at the 2 Regional workshops of the Corporation.
These refurbished vehicles have been well-received by passengers and appear as attractive as new vehicles, leading to the expansion of this refurbishing work at all divisions.
Till date, 806 vehicles in two Regional Workshops and 344 vehicles in 16 Divisions, totalling 1,150 vehicles, have been refurbished.
4. Volvo Vehicle Refurbishing:
Corporation,in addition to refurbishing its old ordinary buses has taken up refurbishment of 10 to 11 years old premier buses and so far, 6 premier buses have been refurbished which can operate for an additional 3-4 lakh Kms or until the end of their lifespan, demonstrating the Corporation’s adoption of modern techniques and technologies.
5. Passenger-Friendly Year Declared for 2024
The Corporation has declared 2024 as passenger friendly year. Rs. 3 lakh accident relief compensation which was given earlier to the dependants of the deceased passengers who died in accidents has increased to Rs.10 Lakhs w.e.f 01-01-2024.
6. HRMS Implementation
The Corporation is actively engaged in technology integration, having computerized attendance, online leave management, service records,and personal details of staff.
Currently,attendance of Central Office and Divisional Office Staff is being managed under the HRMS scheme, which includes features for managing attendance, leave, payroll, transfers, discipline, training, and more, facilitating quicker and easier management of information.
7. Smart Electronic Ticketing System
To ensure maximum travel convenience, comfort,safety, and familiarity for passengers,the KSRTC has introduced a user-friendly ticketing system.
In response to long-standing public demand for digital payments for ticket purchases, the Corporation has activated digital payment options during ticket and pass distribution, implementing smart electronic ticketing machines and software.
These devices operate on 4G/Wi-Fi and transmit real-time ticket information to a centralized server. They include RFID readers that support QR codes and various digital payment methods like UPI, debit and credit cards. The Dynamic QR code system has been introduced as the first of its kind in South India.
8. Cashless Medical Treatment
To improve the welfare of workers,the Corporation has implemented many schemes and will be including cashless medical treatment for all its staff members by collaborating with major hospitals in the state, approximately 33,000 staff and their family members will benefit from medical services.
9. ”Saarige Vidya Chethana’’ Scholarship Initiative
Under the ‘Saarige Vidya Chethana’ initiative, scholarships are being provided to the children of KSRTC staff under the education assistance fund. Scholarships worth ₹2.34 crore have been awarded to 4,689 beneficiaries for the academic years 2023-24 and 2024-25, and this initiative is in progress.
10.Awards received by the Corporation:
117 National and International awards have been received by the State Road Transport Corporations during the last one year.
Launch of 20 New Volvo Airavatha Club Class 2.0 Vehicles for KSRTC.
The newly launched Airavatha Club Class 2.0 vehicles will be operated on the following routes.
Shivamogga – Bengaluru- 1 Bus, Bengaluru- Tirupathi- 1 Bus,
Davanagere- Bengaluru- 1 Bus, Bengaluru- Bellary-1 Bus,
Kundapura- Bengaluru- 2 Bus, Mangaluru- Bengaluru-1 Bus,
Bengaluru- Tirupathi- 1 Bus, Mysuru – Bengaluru- 1 Bus,
Bengaluru- Hyderabad- 1 Bus, Mysuru- Bengaluru- 1 Bus,
Bengaluru- Chennai- 1 Bus, Bengaluru- Raichuru- 2 Bus,
Bengaluru- Sri hari kota- 2 Bus, Bengaluru- Kasaragod- 2 Bus and
Bengaluru- Calicut- 2 Bus.
The key features of the bus are:
This vehicle is 15 meters long.
It is equipped with 51 seats arranged in a 2×2 configuration for passenger seating.
Powerful halogen headlights and daytime running lights (DRL) with new plush interiors and Scandinavian-style exteriors, offering visually appealing aesthetics.
Aerodynamic design providing better fuel efficiency. Advanced engine technology, delivering superior performance and improved fuel efficiency (KMPL).
3.5% increase in overall bus length,providing more space between passenger seats. 5.6% increase in overall bus height, offering more headroom.
Windshield glass is 9.5% wider, improving driver visibility and reducing blind spots.
Larger luggage space, offering 20% more capacity compared to previous buses,making it the first bus with such ample luggage space.
Equipped with next-generation mobile charging points like USB and C-type.
Enhanced air conditioning system due to a larger AC duct. Premiums experience and comfort for passengers with high-quality seats and materials.
Pantographic design,making vehicle maintenance easier.
Rear fog lights for improved safety during night-time driving.Easy-to-reach driver controls and switches for greater driver convenience.
Fire Alarm and Protection System (FAPS) installed for increased passenger safety during emergencies. Water pipes with 30 nozzles are installed on both sides of the passenger seats, which activate and spray water during fire accidents.
Drivers can easily view pedestrians from the passenger door, enhancing pedestrian safety.
Dr.M C Sudhakar,Higher Education Minister,Nagaraj Yadav,MLC,Rizwan Arshad,MLA,Shivajinagar Constituency,Dr. N V Prasad,IAS.,Secretary to Government,Transport Department,Anbukkumar V, IAS., Managing Director, KSRTC,Ramachandran, IAS., Managing Director, BMTC, Dr.Nandhinidevi K,IAS., Director(P&V), union leaders, officers and staffs were present on this occasion.
