The
Times of India: Madurai: Friday, November 02, 2012.
Trichy: The
Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporations Employees Federation has taken strong
exception to the "wasteful expenditure" incurred by the Trichy
division of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation Kumbakonam Ltd, in the
appointment of IPS vigilance officers at exorbitant salaries.
In a reply to
an RTI application filed by the state deputy general secretary of AITUC, N
Mani, the corporation has revealed that it has paid Rs 66,32,343 to four
officers who had "worked" for a total period of 96 months. During the
last regime, the corporation in its wisdom appointed IPS officers in the rank
of ADGP as chief vigilance officers, and those in the rank of SP were posted as
vigilance officers. At present, Trichy division of the corporation that
controls around 3,000-odd employees is given two officers - A Pari, IPS, as
DIG/chief vigilance officer on a salary of Rs 91,532 pm and B Muthaiah,
superintendent of police/vigilance officer on a salary of Rs 55,357, said the
RTI reply. In addition to the salary, the officers are also paid Rs 52,926 for
"light vehicles and telephones."
Mani was
furious because the RTI reply also clarified that the salaries and perks had
been paid from the corporation's fund, and not by the government. "If the
state government feels strongly about the need for the posts, then it must pay
from its pocket," he said. "When the corporation punishes drivers for
wasting two litres of diesel over a distance of 300 km, such wasteful
expenditure is outright hypocrisy," Mani told TOI.
The general
manager of the corporation's Trichy division, N Pasupathy, told TOI that no
driver had ever been punished for wasting diesel. The corporation expects its
drivers to cover at least 5.5 km per litre of diesel, and while there are also
drivers who cover a distance of even 6 km per litre, the corporation's average
is 5.58 km per litre. "In fact, we have identified 10% of drivers who
cover a distance of less than 4.8 km per litre, and they are periodically given
counselling about 'economic speed', Pasupathy said. However, these drivers, who
are getting attendance without work, loathe such training programs and complain
about them, he said. "No driver is punished for using diesel
imprudently," he said. Asked about the "wasteful expenditure" on
the vigilance officers, he said, "It is a policy matter, and I should not
comment on that. All I can say is that prior to these appointments, the general
manager himself doubled up as vigilance officer."
Curiously,
when Trichy division is posted with two vigilance officers, the three divisions
of the Kumbakonam corporation, namely Karaikudi, Pudukkottai and Kumbakonam do
not boast of any single vigilance officer. While Pasupathy did not know why the
other three divisions did not get vigilance officers, Mani questioned the
rationale behind it and asked, "If vigilance officers are inevitable, then
going by the same logic why should the other three divisions be denied the right
to the posts?"
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