Struggling to revive the financial health of transport corporations and reduce subsidy, the West Bengal Transport department today received a go-ahead from the state finance ministry to offer VRS to another 1,000 employees of those corporations.
Stating this, state transport minister Madan Mitra told PTI here that those who were working in the five state-run transport corporations, had sought the voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) and "no one was forced".
"More such employees who will ask for VRS and it will be offered," Mitra said.
The units include Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC), Calcutta Tramways Company Ltd (CTC), West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation (WBSTC), North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) and South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC).
Earlier about 900 employees were offered VRS after the Trinamool Congress came to power in the state, Mitra said.
There are around 22,000 employees in state-owned transport corporations and the annual subsidy bill of the corporations is Rs 700 crore.
Principal secretary to the transport department, Alapan Bandyopadhyay said "The finance department is telling us that if there are old and sick employees in the subsidy-burdened state transport undertakings, then money can be arranged for their retiral benefits".
Meanwhile, the transport department today formed a five-member committee with the Chief Operational Manager of the CTC Pratip Kumar Mondal as its chairman to suggest measures to augment the income and reduce expenditure of the state transport undertakings and also to enhance the operational viability of these organisations.
Bandyopadhyay said the panel, "Operational Efficiency Reforms Committee" and comprising senior officials also from CSTC, NBSTC, SBSTC and WBSTC, would submit its report within a month.
He said the measure was a complimentary and supplementary to the two big steps already taken -monetisation of idle land assets and voluntary retirement of sick and old employees.
