After cop manhandles Ayyappa devotee KSRTC to drop rude staff from Sabarimala duty

Even as complaints galore over the alleged misconduct by a policeman on duty at Sabarimala, the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), which has made a windfall out of the ongoing pilgrimage season, is going an extra mile to build its image among the Ayyappa devotees.

A special circular issued by the Corporation has now asked the officers in charge only to deploy those crew for the Makaravilakku services who have no history of misbehaving with commuters. It further asks the employees to behave “politely” towards the pilgrims.

“Behave decently and politely with the Ayyappa devotees…It requires the cooperation of all to further build the image of the KSRTC among the devotees by facilitating hassle-free services on this Makaravilakku day,” reads one of the directions in the circular, brought out by the Joint Managing Director, KSRTC.

Other major instructions include a direction against stopping the bus from Pampa to Pathanamthitta for any purpose, including having food as the same may further prolong the traffic jam, and regulating the speed to ensure the safety of pilgrims. It further entrusts the unit officers concerned with streamlining the deployments of buses to be pooled from the northern and southern zones for the Makaravilakku service.

“Any instance of a misbehaviour towards the devotees will reflect on the KSRTC as a whole and will have an adverse impact in the long run. In this context, we have to remind all our staff of the need to behave decently towards the passengers. This season, we’re happy that there were no major complaints against the services or the crew so far,” pointed out a KSRTC official.

The document has also charted out the protocol to be followed by the bus crew in case of an accident or breakdown and asks the garage heads to ensure the maintenance of vehicles before deployment.

This season, the unprecedented rush of devotees to Sabarimala has given the cash-strapped Corporation a much-needed succour. The State-owned carrier, which operates chain bus services between Nilackkal and Pampa, clocks well over one crore rupees on most days.

The agency currently operates 205 buses from Sabarimala, which will be augmented to 800 buses on Makaravilakku day on January 15 to clear the rush. The sharp surge in revenue, meanwhile, comes against the backdrop of an online campaign against the alleged fleecing of devotees by charging excess fares. The KSRTC, however, has denied the accusation, citing that ticket fares for special services are higher than the normal fare.