MSRTC to hire 13,980 drivers and mechanics on contract; case threatened over job-for-money demands

The ST Mahamandal will soon recruit about 13,980 drivers and mechanical staff. The hiring will be on a contract basis. Transport Minister and ST Mahamandal chairman Pratap Sarnaik announced this on Friday.

Sarnaik said the ST administration will bear full responsibility for ensuring that no one is defrauded in the recruitment. He gave clear instructions that the process must be transparent and completed according to the rules. Candidates selected through an outside agency must also meet the eligibility conditions laid down by the ST Mahamandal. In other words, even if an outside agency conducts the recruitment, selection will follow ST rules. He said plainly that no one will get a job through contacts or money.

The administration has been receiving complaints that some private agencies are misusing the Mahamandal's name. They are tempting needy and unemployed youth with the promise of jobs and illegally collecting money from them. Sarnaik said the actions of some anti-social elements are damaging the Mahamandal's image among the public, and that this is a serious matter.

He has issued strict instructions on this. Such illegal activities in the name of the ST Mahamandal are to be investigated thoroughly by the security and vigilance department. The agencies cheating candidates and the people linked to them are to be identified, and cases registered immediately against the guilty. Anyone who demands money in the ST's name will face a case directly. Candidates should not trust anyone until an official advertisement is issued, and should not pay if anyone asks for money in the name of recruitment.

There is also bad news for the ST. Making the NCMC card mandatory has directly hurt the Mahamandal's earnings. The ST's loss in October rose by Rs 150 crore compared with September. The total loss for the month was recorded at more than Rs 240 crore. The daily loss has reached as much as Rs 7 crore.

The card was made mandatory before its availability and the registration process were complete. Only 43 per cent of women in the state had an NCMC smart card. The remaining 57 per cent of women passengers faced difficulties. As a result, the other passengers who travelled with women also turned away from the ST, and ridership fell.

Realising the seriousness of the situation, the Mahamandal relaxed the smart card requirement from November 7. But how to make up the financial loss is a big question before it. Earnings did not rise as expected even in the first ten days of Diwali, which will add to the ST's financial troubles.