Despite cash crunch, Corporation not tightening purse string
Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Sept 23: Dispur owes retired ASTC (Assam State Transport Corporation) employees over Rs 75 crore to date. This paints the real fiscal health of the Corporation. Against such a bitter truth, the Corporation does not feel it necessary to tighten the purse string.
According to records obtained from the office of the Managing Director of ASTC, the total dues pending for payment to retired employees of the Corporation to date is Rs 75,21,20,655, the breakup being Rs 33,68,04,413 as CFP, Rs 27,94,42,873 as gratuity and Rs 13,58,73,769 as unutilized leave salaries. This apart, the Corporation is to pay Rs 22 lakh as arrears DA.
The records further say that the total dues pending for payment to employees retiring due to death till date are Rs 6,34,46,372. The breakup is Rs 4,14,84, 470 as gratuity, Rs 1,11,14,859 as CPF and Rs 1,08,47,043 as unutilized leave salaries. This apart, the ASTC employees’ associations claim that the Corporation has not yet deposited an accumulated PF premia amounting to Rs 39 crore. As if to cap it all, the employees of the Corporation have not been getting their salaries regularly. According to an allegation from its employees, the Corporation continues to recruit employees unnecessarily without keeping an eye on its fiscal health, leaving the existing employees and some retired ones high and dry. The Corporation, according to allegations, has recruited many employees between June 2016 and July 2018 without approval from its Board of Directors in most of the posts. The employees’ associations further allege that the Corporation has been coughing up as much as Rs 1.33 lakh per month as salaries for three retired officers who have been appointed as advisers. According to the associations, the advisers have nothing to do in the Corporation now.
The Corporation, it is alleged, has been too stingy about small expenditures and too extravagant with large ones – thereby leaving them (employees) high and dry.
ASTC was seen taking many luxurious schemes like introduction of Volvo and Mercedes series of buses with trial runs in the past over two years. Such luxurious steps did impress many in the State that the once bankrupt Corporation successfully brought its ailing fiscal health back on track. However, a reality check tells something different.