Beleaguered AMTS to offer VRS to stay afloat

AHMEDABAD: As a last ditch effort to keep the beleaguered public transport system afloat, senior officials of Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service are contemplating ways to implement Voluntary Retirement Scheme for AMTS employees.
According to highly placed sources in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), the cash-strapped city bus service has decided to offer "golden handshake" to its 6,000 permanent employees.
The move to shed some of the flab has been propelled by the dismal performance of the AMTS during the last two years. AMTS has asked its employees, through a circular, to submit their application for VRS option before October 31.
Meanwhile, sources in the AMTS conferred that the move was to pave the way for the privatisation of the city civic transport. AMTS is targeting, at least, 25 per cent of its workforce with the VRS bait. Interestingly, the move has come after Vinay Vyasa took over as the new transport manager (in-charge). Vyasa, who is known for his no nonsense approach in AMC, is expected to yield some results for the AMTS.
"Actually it depends on the total number of applications that we will receive," said Surendra Baxi, chairman of municipal transport committee, when asked about total amount allocated for the VRS option.
However, BJP ridiculed the VRS option and says that it''s a non-permanent solution for the AMTS problems. "Without charting out conditions and without earmarking a definite amount for the scheme, how they are going to implement it?" said Dharmendra Shah, leader of Opposition in AMC. He also alleged that during the Congress party''s misrule, the condition of AMTS has deteriorated at a rapid pace.
As per terms and conditions of the VRS option, an employee who has completed ten years of service or attained an age of 40 years is eligible for ''golden handshake''. In the bargain, an employee will get GPF amount, enactment of accumulated leaves and gratuity money.
The employees will also receive in one go, 15 days'' salary plus dearness allowance for every month till completion of the entire service period or Rs 3 lakh or payment of salary for the rest of the period between voluntary retirement and general retirement.
Coffers of the civic transport hit a new low with closure of various routes due to unavailability of buses and loss of income due to decreasing frequency on road. Within a period of two years, the AMTS fleet on road has gone down from 752 in 2000, to 425 this year.
Problems for AMTS has aggravated further, with delay in appointment of a permanent transport manager and lack of political will to bailout the organisation.